API Authentication
Authenticate API calls with a platform API key — ApiKey or Bearer header, or query string when headers are not possible.
Every request needs a platform API key from the API portal. A signed-in session on the Alpha Analyst website does not replace a key.
Open API portalAPI plan
REST requires an API subscription on the account that owns the key. A website-only plan does not unlock the catalog by itself.
Send your key
Authorization: ApiKey YOUR_API_KEYSame key with Bearer when your client only supports that scheme:
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEYIf you cannot set a header:
?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEYIf both Authorization and apiKey are sent, the header wins. Prefer the header—query strings often appear in access logs.
Use the full key string the portal shows once (for example aa_live_…). Website login tokens and other JWTs are not API keys.
Scope
The key acts as you (and your organization when the key was created for one). Do not send user or organization ids in the body to impersonate someone else.
Errors
| Status | error.code | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | unauthorized | Fix or replace the key. |
| 403 | forbidden | Account or plan does not include API access or this dataset (check the message). |
Responses use {"error": {"code", "message", "details"?}}.
Keep keys secret
Anyone with the key can use your quota. Do not paste it into shared notebooks, chat logs, tickets, or published source.