Authentication

API Keys

Every request to the Acme API requires authentication. The simplest method is an API key.

Creating an API Key

1. Log in to your Acme Dashboard
2. Navigate to Settings → API Keys
3. Click Create New Key
4. Copy the key — it will only be shown once

Caution

Never commit API keys to version control. Use environment variables or a secrets manager.

Using Your Key

Environment Variable

.env

ACME_API_KEY=sk_live_abc123...

const client = new AcmeClient({
  apiKey: process.env.ACME_API_KEY,
});

Direct

// Only for testing — don't hardcode keys in production
const client = new AcmeClient({
  apiKey: "sk_test_abc123...",
});

Key Types

Key Prefix	Environment	Permissions
sk_live_	Production	Full access
sk_test_	Sandbox	Full access
pk_live_	Production	Read-only
pk_test_	Sandbox	Read-only

Token-Based Auth

For user-scoped operations, use OAuth 2.0 tokens:

const client = new AcmeClient({
  accessToken: userToken,
});

Rate Limits

Plan	Requests/min	Burst
Free	60	10
Pro	600	100
Enterprise	6,000	1,000

When you exceed the rate limit, the SDK automatically retries with exponential backoff. You can customize this behavior:

const client = new AcmeClient({
  apiKey: process.env.ACME_API_KEY,
  maxRetries: 3,
  retryDelay: 1000, // ms
});