Authentication

Overview

ManyPi uses API key authentication with Bearer tokens. All API requests must include a valid API key in the Authorization header.

API keys are tied to your account and provide access to all your scrapers. Keep them secure and never commit them to version control.

Getting your API key

Navigate to API Keys

Go to Settings → API Keys in your dashboard.

Create a new key

Click “Create API Key” and give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Production Server”, “Staging Environment”).

Copy and store securely

Copy the API key immediately - you won’t be able to see it again!

Store your API key securely. Never commit it to Git or share it publicly.

Making authenticated requests

Basic authentication

Include your API key in the Authorization header as a Bearer token:

cURL

curl -X POST \
  'https://app.manypi.com/api/scrape/YOUR_SCRAPER_ID' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://example.com"
  }'

Authentication format

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Scheme: Bearer
Token: Your API key (no additional encoding needed)

Code examples

const MANYPI_API_KEY = process.env.MANYPI_API_KEY;

async function scrapeUrl(scraperId, url) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://app.manypi.com/api/scrape/${scraperId}`,
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${MANYPI_API_KEY}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ url })
    }
  );
  
  if (!response.ok) {
    throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
  }
  
  return response.json();
}

Environment variables

Store your API key in environment variables, never hardcode it:

.env file
Node.js
Python
Docker
Kubernetes

.env

MANYPI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Add .env to your .gitignore file!

// Load from .env file
require('dotenv').config();

const apiKey = process.env.MANYPI_API_KEY;

if (!apiKey) {
  throw new Error('MANYPI_API_KEY environment variable is required');
}

import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

# Load from .env file
load_dotenv()

api_key = os.environ.get('MANYPI_API_KEY')

if not api_key:
    raise ValueError('MANYPI_API_KEY environment variable is required')

docker-compose.yml

version: '3.8'
services:
  app:
    image: your-app
    environment:
      - MANYPI_API_KEY=${MANYPI_API_KEY}

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: manypi-credentials
type: Opaque
stringData:
  api-key: your_api_key_here
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: scraper-pod
spec:
  containers:
  - name: app
    env:
    - name: MANYPI_API_KEY
      valueFrom:
        secretKeyRef:
          name: manypi-credentials
          key: api-key

Authentication errors

401 Unauthorized

Cause: Missing or invalid API key

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Invalid API key",
  "errorType": "authentication_error"
}

Solutions:

Check that the Authorization header is present
Verify the API key is correct (no extra spaces or characters)
Ensure the API key hasn’t been deleted or revoked
Confirm you’re using the Bearer scheme

403 Forbidden

Cause: Valid API key but insufficient permissions or credits

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Insufficient credits to perform this operation",
  "errorType": "insufficient_credits"
}

Solutions:

Check your credit balance in the dashboard
Purchase additional credits or upgrade your plan
Verify the scraper belongs to your account

Managing API keys

Creating multiple keys

Create separate API keys for different purposes:

Production Server    - For your live application
Staging Environment  - For testing before deployment
CI/CD Pipeline       - For automated testing
Development          - For local development
Partner Integration  - For third-party access

Benefits:

Isolate rate limits (60 req/min per key)
Easier to rotate keys without downtime
Better security through separation
Track usage by service

Rotating API keys

Create new key

Generate a new API key in the dashboard with a descriptive name.

Update your application

Deploy the new key to your application (use blue-green deployment or rolling updates).

Monitor

Verify the new key is working correctly in production.

Revoke old key

Once confirmed, delete the old API key from the dashboard.

Rotate API keys regularly (every 90 days) as a security best practice.

Revoking compromised keys

If an API key is compromised:

Immediately revoke the key in your dashboard
Create a new key and update your application
Review usage logs for any suspicious activity
Monitor credits for unexpected consumption

Security best practices

Never commit API keys to Git

.gitignore

# Environment variables
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

# API keys
**/api-keys.txt
**/credentials.json

Use environment variables or secret management services instead.

Use secret management services

For production applications, use dedicated secret management:

AWS Secrets Manager
HashiCorp Vault
Azure Key Vault
Google Secret Manager
Doppler
1Password Secrets Automation

Rotate keys regularly

Set up a rotation schedule:

// Check key age and warn if old
const KEY_MAX_AGE_DAYS = 90;
const keyCreatedAt = new Date('2024-01-01');
const keyAge = (Date.now() - keyCreatedAt.getTime()) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24);

if (keyAge > KEY_MAX_AGE_DAYS) {
  console.warn('API key is older than 90 days. Consider rotating.');
}

Limit key exposure

Don’t log API keys
Don’t send keys in URLs or query parameters
Don’t include keys in client-side code
Use server-side proxies for browser applications

Monitor key usage

Track API key usage to detect anomalies:

// Log API calls for monitoring
function logApiCall(keyId, endpoint, success) {
  console.log({
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
    keyId: keyId.substring(0, 8) + '...', // Partial key for identification
    endpoint,
    success
  });
}

Testing authentication

Verify your API key

Test your API key with a simple request:

curl -X POST \
  'https://app.manypi.com/api/scrape/YOUR_SCRAPER_ID' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com"}' \
  -v

Look for:

✅ HTTP/1.1 200 OK - Authentication successful
❌ HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized - Invalid API key
❌ HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden - Valid key but insufficient permissions/credits

Automated testing

describe('API Authentication', () => {
  it('should authenticate with valid API key', async () => {
    const response = await fetch(/* ... */, {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.MANYPI_API_KEY}`
      }
    });
    
    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
  });
  
  it('should reject invalid API key', async () => {
    const response = await fetch(/* ... */, {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer invalid_key'
      }
    });
    
    expect(response.status).toBe(401);
  });
  
  it('should reject missing API key', async () => {
    const response = await fetch(/* ... */);
    
    expect(response.status).toBe(401);
  });
});

Next steps

Create API key

Generate your first API key in the dashboard

Make your first request

Follow the quickstart guide

Rate limiting

Learn about rate limits per API key

API Reference

Explore the complete API documentation

Getting started

Features

Overview

Getting your API key

Making authenticated requests

Basic authentication

Authentication format

Code examples

Environment variables

Authentication errors

401 Unauthorized

403 Forbidden

Managing API keys

Creating multiple keys

Rotating API keys

Revoking compromised keys

Security best practices

Testing authentication

Verify your API key

Automated testing

Next steps

Create API key

Make your first request

Rate limiting

API Reference

Getting started

Features

​Overview

​Getting your API key

​Making authenticated requests

​Basic authentication

​Authentication format

​Code examples

​Environment variables

​Authentication errors

​401 Unauthorized

​403 Forbidden

​Managing API keys

​Creating multiple keys

​Rotating API keys

​Revoking compromised keys

​Security best practices

​Testing authentication

​Verify your API key

​Automated testing

​Next steps

Create API key

Make your first request

Rate limiting

API Reference

Overview

Getting your API key

Making authenticated requests

Basic authentication

Authentication format

Code examples

Environment variables

Authentication errors

401 Unauthorized

403 Forbidden

Managing API keys

Creating multiple keys

Rotating API keys

Revoking compromised keys

Security best practices

Testing authentication

Verify your API key

Automated testing

Next steps