Using an API Key

Helpdocs Admin Updated by Helpdocs Admin

Authenticating requests

API keys use HTTP Basic Authentication, sent via the Authorization header. Each key consists of a username and password pair.

After you create a key, the UI displays everything you need to use it — including a ready-to-use Authorization header, so you don't have to construct it yourself.

Username: global
Password: 3IqigSLpw9T3BJ-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Example:
curl --request GET \
  --url "https://example.com/path" \
  --header "Authorization: Basic Z2xvYmFsOjNJcWlnU0xwdzlUM0JKXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"

The Authorization value is just your username and password combined and Base64-encoded — the UI generates this for you automatically.

Power Automate / Azure Copilot

If you're connecting through Power Automate or Azure Copilot, the UI also provides a simplified pair of fields for that connector:

Site Host: example.com
API Key: Z2xvYmFsOjNJcWlnU0xwXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Important: This information is only shown once, right after the key is created. If you refresh or navigate away from the page, you won't be able to view it again — so copy it somewhere safe (e.g., a password manager or secrets vault) before leaving the screen.

Why OAuth handles this more safely

This is one area where OAuth has a real advantage. With OAuth, your application requests and stores an access token and refresh token programmatically — typically in a database or a secrets vault like Azure Key Vault — with no manual copy-paste step involved. There's no risk of a key sitting in a text file or chat message where it could be accidentally leaked. We'll cover OAuth in detail in a later set of articles.

Testing in Swagger

You can also authenticate directly within Swagger using an API key you've created:

  • Open Swagger and click the Authorize button.
  • Enter the key's username and password when prompted.
  • Swagger will then include the credentials automatically on requests you try from the interface.

How did we do?

Setting Up an API Key

Contact