# Create Virtual Accounts with Atlas

Step-by-step guide to creating a customer with a dedicated virtual account.

This guide walks you through creating a customer on Atlas and automatically provisioning a virtual bank account for that customer. Once created, the virtual account can be used to receive transfers and track customer-specific payments.

## [Prerequisites](https://docs.tryduplo.com/en/atlas/guides/account#prerequisites)

To follow this guide, you need the following:

- A verified Atlas account. If you don't have one, you can [sign up for free](https://atlas-app.tryduplo.com/auth/signup) and follow this guide to [verify your Atlas account](https://docs.tryduplo.com/atlas/guides/compliance).
- An Atlas API Key. You can fetch your API Key from your Atlas dashboard.
- Configured and setup webhooks on Atlas. See our guide on [Configuring and Verifying Atlas webhooks](https://docs.tryduplo.com/atlas/guides/webhooks).

## [Creating a virtual account](https://docs.tryduplo.com/en/atlas/guides/account#creating-a-virtual-account)

To create a virtual account, you first need to create a customer. Atlas provisions a wallet and virtual account for the customer when `has_wallet` is set to `true` in the request. To create a customer, make a POST request to the [Create Customer](https://docs.tryduplo.com/atlas/customers/createNewCustomer) endpoint with the following fields.

- `email`: The customer's email address. This field is required.
- `phone`: The customer's phone number in international format (e.g. `+2347012345678`). This field is required.
- `type`: This can either `"individual"` or `"business"`. It controls whose name appears on the virtual account. Individual accounts resolve to the customer's name and business accounts resolve to your business name.
- `first_name`: The customer's first name. It is required when `type` is `"individual"`.
- `last_name`: The customer's last name. It is required when `type` is `"individual"`.
- `has_wallet`: Set to `true` to provision a virtual account for the customer. Defaults to `false`.

We recommend [encrypting the payload](https://docs.tryduplo.com/atlas/guides/encryption) before sending it.

### Example Code:
#### JavaScript

```javascript
const axios = require("axios");

const createCustomer = async () => {
  try {
    const response = await axios.post(
      "https://atlas.tryduplo.com/api/v1/customer",
      {
        first_name: "John",
        last_name: "Doe",
        email: "john.doe@example.com",
        phone: "+2347012345678",
        type: "individual",
        has_wallet: true,
      },
      {
        headers: {
          Authorization: "Bearer your_api_key",
          "Content-Type": "application/json",
          Accept: "application/json",
        },
      },
    );

// Access the wallet object
    const wallet = response.data?.data?.wallet;
    console.log(wallet);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error.response?.data);
  }
};

createCustomer();
```

### Expected Response:

```json
{
  "wallet_id": "469e02df-43ae-46e7-8ebc-0b0ab5e19303",
  "currency": "NGN",
  "wallet_type": "customer",
  "account_number": "6754358291",
  "account_name": "dp_pay/wilkinson, sawayn and sch/wilkinson, sawayn and schroeder ltd",
  "provider": "duplo"
}
```