# Getting Started You can use the JavaScript client library to interact with Google APIs, such as People, Calendar, and Drive, from your web applications. Follow the instructions on this page to get started. [](#top_of_page)How to make API requests ---------------------------------------- There are several ways to use the JavaScript client library to make API requests, but they all follow the same basic pattern: 1. The application loads the JavaScript client library. 2. The application initializes the library with API key, OAuth client ID, and [API Discovery Document(s)](discovery.md). 3. The application sends a request and processes the response. The following sections show 2 common ways of using the JavaScript client library. ### Option 1: Load the API discovery document, then assemble the request. The following example assumes the user has already signed in. For a full example of how to sign in a user, see the [full auth sample](https://github.com/google/google-api-javascript-client/blob/master/docs/samples.md#authorizing-and-making-authorized-requests). ```html ``` ### Option 2: Use `gapi.client.request` A more general way to make requests is to use [`gapi.client.request`](https://developers.google.com/api-client-library/javascript/reference/referencedocs#gapiclientrequest). Your application does not have to load the Discovery Document as in the first option, but it must still set the API key (and auth for some APIs). While you need to manually fill in REST parameters with this option, it saves one network request and reduces application size. ```html ``` [](#top_of_page)Supported environments -------------------------------------- The JavaScript client library works with the same browsers supported by [Google Apps](https://support.google.com/a/answer/33864) except that mobile browsers are currently not fully supported. It only works within HTML documents with a `` element served using the `https` _(preferred)_ and `http` protocols. However, `