> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://apidocs.bridge.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authentication

Bridge uses API keys to authenticate your requests. You can generate them from the [dashboard](http://dashboard.bridge.xyz/app/keys) .

**⚠️ API keys are shown only once** at the time of creation. Be sure to copy and store them securely — they cannot be retrieved later.

### 🔑 How Authentication Works

* Pass your API key in the Api-Key header using HTTP Basic Auth.
* No username or password is required — just the API key.
* All requests must be made over HTTPS; requests over plain HTTP are rejected.
* Invalid or missing keys will return a 401 Unauthorized.

> ❗️ Keep your API keys secure. They grant full access to your account and should never be shared publicly or within internal tools like Slack or dashboards.

### Sandbox Environment

* In the sandbox, API keys are scoped to individual developer accounts.
* Keys generated in sandbox are not visible to teammates, even if production keys are shared across the org.

### Example Request

```shell theme={null}
curl --location --request GET 'https://api.bridge.xyz/v0/customers' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'Api-Key: <your-api-key>'
```