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Your API Keys

An API key is a unique identifier used to authenticate and authorize a request to the FreeSewing backend. Whereas a username (and password) are intended for users, API keys (and secret) are intended to authenticate and authorize a robot, program, or script rather than a human user.

To create a FreeSewing API key, you need to provide the following fields:

note

API keys are an advanced feature aimed at developers and geeky users.

Name​

Every API key has a name attribute that is mandatory. In other words, you must give each of your API keys a name, but that name can be anything you want.

Typically, people give names that describe where the key is used, like:

  • Production backend
  • GitLab runner
  • Local development on my laptop

But you do you.

Permission level​

Every API key has a permission level the controls what the key can do.

The permission level is a number from 0 to 4 with the following significance:

  • 0 : Authenticate only
  • 1 : Read access to your own patterns and measurements sets
  • 2 : Read access to all your account data
  • 3 : Write access to your own patterns and measurements sets
  • 4 : Write access to all your account data
tip

For more details, refer to the backend documentation on FreeSewing.dev

Expiry​

Every API key has an expiry date after which the key will stop working.

By default, API keys expire after 1 month, but we support up to two years.

note

When your key is about to expire, you must replace it with a new one. You cannot extend the expiry date of a key once set.