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

# Detail API authentication: Bearer tokens and API keys

> Learn how to authenticate Detail REST API requests using Bearer tokens, generate API keys from the dashboard, and handle auth errors.

Detail authenticates API requests using Bearer tokens. Include your API key in the `Authorization` header of every request — the API does not support cookie-based auth or query-string tokens.

## Header format

```
Authorization: Bearer dtl_live_YOUR_KEY
```

Every request must carry this header, regardless of the endpoint.

## Example request

```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.detail.dev/public/v1/user \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer dtl_live_YOUR_KEY"
```

## Obtaining an API key

1. Sign in at [app.detail.dev](https://app.detail.dev).
2. Navigate to **Settings → API Keys**.
3. Click **Create key**, give it a name, and copy the key value immediately — it will not be shown again.

## Key format

API keys come in two types, distinguished by their prefix:

| Prefix      | Use                                              |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| `dtl_live_` | Production keys — authenticate against live data |
| `dtl_test_` | Test keys — for development and CI environments  |

```
dtl_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
dtl_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
```

<Warning>
  Never embed API keys in client-side code, commit them to version control, or share them in public channels. Use environment variables or a secrets manager to inject keys at runtime.
</Warning>

## Error responses

If authentication fails, the API returns a JSON error body alongside the HTTP error status.

| Status | Error type                    | Cause                                                                            |
| ------ | ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `401`  | `DETAIL_AUTHENTICATION_ERROR` | The `Authorization` header is missing or the token is invalid                    |
| `403`  | `AUTHORIZATION_ERROR`         | The token is valid but does not have permission to access the requested resource |

A `401` response looks like this:

```json theme={null}
{
  "type": "DETAIL_AUTHENTICATION_ERROR",
  "message": "Invalid or missing API key",
  "statusCode": 401
}
```

<Tip>
  If you receive a `403`, check that the API key belongs to an account that has access to the organization or repository you are querying.
</Tip>