> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://dev.strixlab.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://dev.strixlab.io/http-and-websocket-api/authentication.md).

# Authentication

Public endpoints — events, order books, candles, the activity feed — need no credentials at all. Everything that trades or reads an account needs **HMAC API keys**.

{% hint style="info" %}
Using [`strix-sdk`](/get-started/installation.md)? Signing is handled for you — pass the three credentials to the constructor and skip this page. Read on if you're integrating from another language.
{% endhint %}

### Getting credentials

In the app: **Settings → API Keys → Generate Keys**.

<table><thead><tr><th width="200">Credential</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><code>apiKey</code></td><td>Public identifier. Visible in settings at any time.</td></tr><tr><td><code>apiSecret</code></td><td>Signing secret. Shown <strong>once</strong> — store it immediately.</td></tr><tr><td><code>apiPassphrase</code></td><td>Sent with every request. Shown <strong>once</strong>.</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="warning" %}
Regenerating credentials invalidates the old ones **immediately**, including live WebSocket sessions. Handle `401` by reloading credentials rather than retrying blindly.
{% endhint %}

### Headers

Every authenticated request carries four:

<table><thead><tr><th width="230">Header</th><th>Value</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><code>STRIX-API-KEY</code></td><td>Your <code>apiKey</code> — <strong>not</strong> your wallet address.</td></tr><tr><td><code>STRIX-TIMESTAMP</code></td><td>Current Unix time in <strong>seconds</strong>.</td></tr><tr><td><code>STRIX-PASSPHRASE</code></td><td>Your passphrase, in plain text.</td></tr><tr><td><code>STRIX-SIGNATURE</code></td><td>Base64 HMAC-SHA256, built below.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### The signature

```
message   = timestamp + METHOD + path + body
signature = base64( HMAC-SHA256(apiSecret, message) )
```

<table><thead><tr><th width="170">Part</th><th>Rule</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><code>timestamp</code></td><td>The same value you put in <code>STRIX-TIMESTAMP</code>. Unix <strong>seconds</strong>, as a string.</td></tr><tr><td><code>METHOD</code></td><td>Uppercase verb — <code>GET</code>, <code>POST</code>, <code>DELETE</code>.</td></tr><tr><td><code>path</code></td><td>The path <strong>without</strong> the <code>/api</code> prefix, <strong>including</strong> the query string.</td></tr><tr><td><code>body</code></td><td>The exact JSON string you send, byte for byte. Empty string when there is no body.</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="danger" %}
**The `/api` prefix is not part of the signed path.** The server verifies against the path *inside* its router, which is mounted at `/api`. So a request to `https://api.strixlab.io/api/orders?marketId=abc` signs:

```
/orders?marketId=abc
```

Signing `/api/orders` produces a perfectly valid-looking signature that fails **every** request with `invalid_signature`. This is the single most common integration bug.
{% endhint %}

Two more rules that trip people up:

* **Sign the exact bytes you send.** Re-serialising the body after signing (a different key order, different whitespace) invalidates the signature.
* **Timestamps older than 30 seconds are rejected.** Keep the host clock NTP-synced; check drift against `GET /api/time` at startup.

### Examples

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="TypeScript" %}
{% code title="sign.ts" %}

```ts
import crypto from 'node:crypto';

const BASE_URL   = 'https://api.strixlab.io/api';
const API_KEY    = process.env.STRIX_API_KEY!;
const API_SECRET = process.env.STRIX_API_SECRET!;
const PASSPHRASE = process.env.STRIX_API_PASSPHRASE!;

function sign(method: string, path: string, body = '') {
  const ts  = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000).toString();
  const msg = ts + method.toUpperCase() + path + body;      // path WITHOUT /api
  return {
    'STRIX-API-KEY':    API_KEY,
    'STRIX-TIMESTAMP':  ts,
    'STRIX-PASSPHRASE': PASSPHRASE,
    'STRIX-SIGNATURE':  crypto.createHmac('sha256', API_SECRET).update(msg).digest('base64'),
    'Content-Type':     'application/json',
  };
}

// GET with a query string — the query is part of the signed path
const orders = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/orders?marketId=mkt_abc`, {
  headers: sign('GET', '/orders?marketId=mkt_abc'),
});

// POST — sign the exact body string you send
const body = JSON.stringify({ tokenId: '0x1a2b', side: 'BUY', price: 0.55, quantity: 100 });
const placed = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/orders`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: sign('POST', '/orders', body),
  body,
});
```

{% endcode %}
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Python" %}
{% code title="sign.py" %}

```python
import base64, hashlib, hmac, json, os, time
import requests

BASE_URL   = "https://api.strixlab.io/api"
API_KEY    = os.environ["STRIX_API_KEY"]
API_SECRET = os.environ["STRIX_API_SECRET"]
PASSPHRASE = os.environ["STRIX_API_PASSPHRASE"]

def sign(method: str, path: str, body: str = "") -> dict:
    ts  = str(int(time.time()))
    msg = ts + method.upper() + path + body          # path WITHOUT /api
    sig = base64.b64encode(
        hmac.new(API_SECRET.encode(), msg.encode(), hashlib.sha256).digest()
    ).decode()
    return {
        "STRIX-API-KEY":    API_KEY,
        "STRIX-TIMESTAMP":  ts,
        "STRIX-PASSPHRASE": PASSPHRASE,
        "STRIX-SIGNATURE":  sig,
        "Content-Type":     "application/json",
    }

body = json.dumps({"tokenId": "0x1a2b", "side": "BUY", "price": 0.55, "quantity": 100})
res  = requests.post(f"{BASE_URL}/orders", headers=sign("POST", "/orders", body), data=body)
print(res.json())
```

{% endcode %}
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Go" %}
{% code title="sign.go" %}

```go
package main

import (
	"crypto/hmac"
	"crypto/sha256"
	"encoding/base64"
	"net/http"
	"os"
	"strconv"
	"strings"
	"time"
)

func sign(req *http.Request, path, body string) {
	secret := os.Getenv("STRIX_API_SECRET")
	ts := strconv.FormatInt(time.Now().Unix(), 10)

	mac := hmac.New(sha256.New, []byte(secret))
	mac.Write([]byte(ts + strings.ToUpper(req.Method) + path + body)) // path WITHOUT /api

	req.Header.Set("STRIX-API-KEY", os.Getenv("STRIX_API_KEY"))
	req.Header.Set("STRIX-TIMESTAMP", ts)
	req.Header.Set("STRIX-PASSPHRASE", os.Getenv("STRIX_API_PASSPHRASE"))
	req.Header.Set("STRIX-SIGNATURE", base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(mac.Sum(nil)))
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
}
```

{% endcode %}
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="curl" %}
{% code title="sign.sh" %}

```bash
#!/usr/bin/env bash
API_KEY="$STRIX_API_KEY"; SECRET="$STRIX_API_SECRET"; PASS="$STRIX_API_PASSPHRASE"

TS=$(date +%s)
METHOD="GET"
PATH_="/orders"                                   # no /api prefix
BODY=""

SIG=$(printf '%s' "${TS}${METHOD}${PATH_}${BODY}" \
  | openssl dgst -sha256 -hmac "$SECRET" -binary \
  | base64)

curl -s "https://api.strixlab.io/api${PATH_}" \
  -H "STRIX-API-KEY: $API_KEY" \
  -H "STRIX-TIMESTAMP: $TS" \
  -H "STRIX-PASSPHRASE: $PASS" \
  -H "STRIX-SIGNATURE: $SIG"
```

{% endcode %}
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

### WebSocket authentication

The socket uses the same secret with a fixed message: `timestamp + "GET" + "/ws"`.

```jsonc
{
  "type":       "auth",
  "apiKey":     "your_api_key",
  "passphrase": "your_passphrase",
  "timestamp":  "1716000000",
  "signature":  "<base64 HMAC-SHA256(apiSecret, timestamp + 'GET' + '/ws')>"
}
```

The server replies with an `authenticated` frame, after which your account's events stream automatically — there is no further subscribe step. A failed auth arrives as an `error` frame, **not** a socket close, so handle it explicitly.

If you're on the SDK, the helpers are exported:

```ts
import { buildSignature, buildWsSignature, buildTimestamp } from 'strix-sdk';
```

### Debugging a 401

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Is the path right?

Sign `/orders`, not `/api/orders`. Include the query string exactly as sent.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Is the body identical?

Sign the serialized string, then send that same string. Don't rebuild it.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Is the clock right?

`GET /api/time` returns server Unix seconds. More than 30 seconds out and every request fails.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Is it the right credential?

`STRIX-API-KEY` carries the **apiKey**, not the wallet address. And check the key hasn't been regenerated since you last stored it.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Browser sessions

Frontends holding a Privy session can pass the identity token instead:

```
Authorization: Bearer <privy_identity_token>
```

{% hint style="warning" %}
Bearer tokens expire and are unsuitable for long-running bots. Use HMAC for anything automated — and never ship an `apiSecret` to a browser.
{% endhint %}


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