Overview
Cornerstone's API Access allows dealers to pull or push data to and from their databases via endpoint calls. This guide covers what endpoints are and the difference between the Development and Production APIs.
What is an endpoint call?
An endpoint call is when one piece of software reaches out to another piece of software to ask for something or send something. Think of it like a phone call between apps — the "endpoint" is the phone number, a specific address the calling app dials to request a particular action or piece of data.
A simple real-world analogy: when you open a weather app and it shows today's forecast, your app didn't calculate the weather itself — it made an endpoint call to a weather service, asked "what's the weather in your location?", and got data back.
In Cornerstone, when the platform talks to Finix to process a payment, or AlarmAPI to pull account data, those are endpoint calls. One system sends a request to a specific address, and the other system sends a response back.
What are the key parts of an endpoint call?
Every endpoint call consists of three key parts:
The Endpoint — the specific URL/address being called (e.g., api.finix.com/transfers).
The Request — what you're asking for or sending.
The Response — what comes back (data, a confirmation, or an error).
It is essentially the handshake between two systems that allows them to share data or trigger actions without being the same application.
What is the difference between the Development and Production APIs?
There are two APIs available: the Development API and the Production API.
The Development API is designed to allow dealers to test calls to and from their data without damaging or destroying live data. It is a safe sandbox that dealers can use for testing.
The Production API is LIVE DATA. Changes to this data are permanent and can only be undone by reversing the action of the call. Cornerstone is not responsible for changes made to a dealer's database via API calls that the dealer makes.
⚠️ Important: Please test all API calls in Development before asking for Production API access.
Where do I access the Development API?
The Development API is available at https://devapi.cfibilling.com. It provides access to Database and Utility services, along with links to documentation.
Development API Web Service Documentation page at https://devapi.cfibilling.com/utility# showing the Services menu with database and utility options, available operations, and links to PostMan Collection and additional documentation.
Additional view of the Development API Web Service Documentation page at https://devapi.cfibilling.com/utility# showing the Services dropdown with database and utility options.
Where do I access the Production API?
The Production API is available at https://api.cfibilling.com. It provides access to Database and Utility services, along with links to documentation.
Production API Web Service Documentation page at https://api.cfibilling.com/IndexPage# showing the Services menu with database and utility options, available operations, and links to PostMan Collection and additional documentation.
Need Help?
Our Customer Success team is here to assist you.
Email: customer.success@alarmbills.com
Phone: 847-405-9517 x1
Copyright © 1999–2026 Cornerstone Billing Solutions. All rights reserved.
Was this article helpful?
That’s Great!
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry! We couldn't be helpful
Thank you for your feedback
Feedback sent
We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article