Quick Start Guide
With Haal Centraal APIs, your municipality can query data directly from the national registry. That is better, faster, and cheaper. This quick start guide explains how to get started with Haal Centraal APIs as a municipality.
Start on two tracks at once with Haal Centraal APIs
We recommend starting with Haal Centraal APIs on two tracks at the same time.
- Track 1: start with Haal Centraal right away by connecting the first consumer to a Haal Centraal API. This gives you valuable experience with the APIs. And from the very first API you already benefit in cost, speed, and convenience.
- Track 2: at the same time, start the transition toward working entirely with APIs in your municipality. This transition takes time and preparation. Once you have fully completed the transition, you can phase out the administrative data warehouse and many local copies.
Track 1: start right away with the first API
Start with Haal Centraal right away by connecting the first API.
Prerequisites for track 1
- The BAG (Basisregistratie Adressen en Gebouwen) is a public source. You can connect to it without an API gateway. But it is more convenient to use an API gateway anyway, because the other Haal Centraal APIs refer to it.
- The BRP (Basisregistratie Personen), BRK (Basisregistratie Kadaster), and WOZ APIs contain confidential data. For these you need an API gateway. Read more about API gateways.
Step-by-step plan for track 1
- Obtain the sample texts for use in the procurement.
- Refer your supplier to the Getting started guide for the API on GitHub. There they will find all the information needed to connect the API.
- Publish the API on the municipality's API gateway. Set the permissions of the consuming application there if the API is confidential, and if necessary require the application to keep access logs of the queries.
- Carry out an audit of the connection (confidential APIs only).
Track 2: transition — phasing out the administrative data warehouse and copies
At the same time, start the transition toward working entirely with APIs in your municipality.
Prerequisites for track 2
As you connect more APIs, you will also scale up security. Step 2 of the 'Step-by-step plan for track 2' below covers this.
If you run selections and data analyses on the data warehouse, you can purchase a system optimized for that purpose.
Step-by-step plan for track 2
- Draw up a transition plan. That starts with an analysis of your application landscape: where are you now and where do you want to go? You can then apply migration strategies.
- Scale up security in phases. As you connect more APIs, you will also scale up your security in phases. In concrete terms, you move from “all security in the application” to “security in central facilities controlled by the municipality”.
You can read a detailed step-by-step plan for this transition in the Transition plan section.