API Keys

API Keys are analogous to a password you would use to access exclusive functions or features on a web application. In this case, however, the interaction is between two programs. One program tries to access the resources of another and uses an API key to do so.

A real-world example of the use of APIs is in online shopping. When you pay for an item on checkout, you do not need to open your payment provider's website to complete the payment. You only need to provide your credentials and payment details on the checkout page of the e-commerce site. The site then uses an API to communicate with the payment provider's database to verify and finish the transaction. 

Adding an API Key

To add an API Key:

1. Click API on the main menu.
2. Select API Keys.
3. Click on the ADD API KEY button on the 'API Keys' tab.
4. Fill out the form containing the following fields:

   Input Label	Type	Required	Description
   Name	Text Field	Yes	Type the name of the source or requester's name.
   Secret / API Key	Text Area	Yes	Type the API Key for the requester or use the GENERATE SECRET/API KEY link to generate an API key. We recommend an API key length of at least 32 characters.

5. Select SAVE.

Updating an API Key

To update an API Key:

1. Click API on the main menu.
2. Select API Keys.
3. Find the API Key that you want to update on the 'API Keys' tab and click on its Edit row action link.
4. Make your changes and click on the UPDATE button.

Note: Special character(s) are converted to HTML character entities. You can use the liquid filter html_safe to handle this.

Viewing API Key Update Histories

To view API Key update histories:

1. Click API on the main menu.
2. Select API Keys.
3. Select the 'History' tab where the API Key updates are displayed in a list.
4. View an API Key update history in detail by clicking on the details icon to the right of their row. The detail view displays information in three columns:
   • Edited Field(s)
   • Value Before
   • Value After

Deleting API Keys

To delete an API Key:

1. Click API on the main menu.
2. Select API Keys.
3. Find the API Key that you want to delete on the 'API Keys' tab and click on its Delete row action link.
4. Select DELETE on the confirmation modal.

Note: Deleting an API key affects all pages and/or system configurations that were previously using it.