Also see: API Keys
What are API Credentials?
We all know how essential it’s to secure our online accounts with usernames and passwords. We always read publications and hear experts emphasizing on the need to have strong passwords to avoid vulnerabilities that may jeopardize our private data. In the same case, API credentials help users to safeguard their applications and avoid exposing an entire ecosystem to malicious and unauthorized access. Since APIs are protocols and tools that permit interaction between applications, if they lack robust credentials to authorize access, it can lead to massive data breaches.
API Credentials
API credentials can be defined as unique identifiers that must be added to code before you make a call via an API. When designing an API, it vitally essential that you put in place the necessary credentials to determine the kind of data every user can access. Although most apps and website boast APIs that are publicly accessible, a vast majority of such platforms require authentication before any request is fulfilled.
Creating multiple API credentials is a safe means of providing access to other people that you work with. You maintain the default access status, while the rest will only access the information they need. Various APIs support different authorization credentials, but the typical APIs feature credentials options such as:
- Name
- API password
- Auth token
- API key
- Status
- Actions
For you to access a given API, you need to have part or all of these credentials.
API Credentials’ Options
Name: This is the first credential that you’ll be given for primary use. You can add more names for use by your partners or affiliates.
API password: This acts as your ID when you are requesting a token or when you want to make a call. It is automatically generated when you sign in, but you can create a new one using alphanumeric and no spaces.
Auth Token: For you to access private user data, you must send an Auth token along with the request. The app first sends a client ID, and possibly a secret word to obtain a token. Auth credentials can be generated for service accounts, web applications, or installed applications.
API keys: If a request doesn’t provide a token, it must offer an API key. The key is used to identify the project that is making the call and offers API access, reports, and quota.
Status: This credential denotes the membership level by defining whether it is active or inactive.
Actions: This allows you to either edit or deletes API credentials.
How to get API Credentials on RapidAPI?
Before we jump right into API credentials, we must understand that API keys are not as secure as a token when it comes to authentication. However, they play a critical role in identifying the project or the app that is making a call.
For you to connect to a project or application, you ought to have an API key to authenticate your request. Building an app within the RapidAPI ecosystem generates an API key that is specific to that application.
Remember, you need to have an app on the RapidAPI developer dashboard for you to access its respective API key. The app is created by default once you sign up for the website.
Getting an API key with RapidAPI
- Visit the RapidAPI website and sign up for an account
- Scroll to any API documentation page, search and click one of the collections
- Navigate down to the “Header Parameters” segment of the API console
- Click Create an API key to generate API keys for your app authentication credentials.
- The API keys will be displayed in the “X-RapidAPI-Key” field.
If the API key you need doesn’t exist, you can create a new one by clicking create credentials >API key in the console.
