Authentication

Overview

Every API request needs an API key in the Authorization header. Get your key from the dashboard, add it to requests as a Bearer token, start building.

Keep your API key secure! Never expose your API key in client-side code or public repositories.

Getting Your API Key

Sign up or log in at babou.ai
Navigate to your Dashboard
Go to Settings → API Keys
Click Create New API Key
Copy your key immediately (it won’t be shown again)

API keys follow the format: sk-bab-[random-string]

Making Authenticated Requests

Include your API key in the Authorization header of every request:

Authorization: Bearer sk-bab-your-api-key-here

Examples

curl https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-bab-your-api-key-here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

const BABOU_API_KEY = process.env.BABOU_API_KEY;

const response = await fetch('https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects', {
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${BABOU_API_KEY}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  }
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

import os
import requests

BABOU_API_KEY = os.environ.get('BABOU_API_KEY')

response = requests.get(
    'https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects',
    headers={
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {BABOU_API_KEY}',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
)

data = response.json()
print(data)

API Key Management

Security Best Practices

Store keys in environment variables

Never hardcode API keys in your source code. Use environment variables:

export BABOU_API_KEY=sk-bab-your-api-key-here

Or use a .env file (and add it to .gitignore):

BABOU_API_KEY=sk-bab-your-api-key-here

Rotate keys regularly

Create new API keys periodically and delete old ones from your dashboard to maintain security.

Use separate keys for different environments

Create different API keys for development, staging, and production environments to isolate access.

Monitor key usage

Check your dashboard regularly for unexpected API usage that might indicate a compromised key.

Key Expiration

API keys can have expiration dates. You’ll receive a 401 Unauthorized error if your key has expired:

{
  "error": "API key has expired",
  "code": "API_KEY_EXPIRED"
}

Authentication Errors

Common Error Responses

401

Invalid or missing API key

{
  "error": "Unauthorized - Invalid API key",
  "code": "UNAUTHORIZED"
}

401

API key doesn’t match expected format (sk-bab-*)

{
  "error": "Invalid API key format",
  "code": "INVALID_API_KEY_FORMAT"
}

401

The API key has expired

{
  "error": "API key has expired",
  "code": "API_KEY_EXPIRED"
}

Testing Your Authentication

Use this simple request to verify your API key is working:

curl https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-bab-your-api-key-here"

async function testAuth() {
  const response = await fetch('https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects', {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.BABOU_API_KEY}`
    }
  });

  if (response.ok) {
    console.log('✓ Authentication successful!');
  } else {
    console.error('✗ Authentication failed:', await response.json());
  }
}

testAuth();

import os
import requests

def test_auth():
    response = requests.get(
        'https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects',
        headers={'Authorization': f'Bearer {os.environ["BABOU_API_KEY"]}'}
    )

    if response.ok:
        print('✓ Authentication successful!')
    else:
        print('✗ Authentication failed:', response.json())

test_auth()

Getting Started

Guides

Overview

Getting Your API Key

Making Authenticated Requests

Examples

API Key Management

Security Best Practices

Key Expiration

Authentication Errors

Common Error Responses

Testing Your Authentication

Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

API Reference

​Overview

​Getting Your API Key

​Making Authenticated Requests

​Examples

​API Key Management

​Security Best Practices

​Key Expiration

​Authentication Errors

​Common Error Responses

​Testing Your Authentication

​Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

API Reference

Overview

Getting Your API Key

Making Authenticated Requests

Examples

API Key Management

Security Best Practices

Key Expiration

Authentication Errors

Common Error Responses

Testing Your Authentication

Next Steps