API authentication types

Each API request that you make to Adyen must be authenticated. You can use either of the following authentication types:

• API key authentication
• Basic authentication

If you are using Adyen's API libraries, you only need to generate and provide the credentials for the authentication type that you'll use. The libraries handle authenticating with Adyen. However, if you are making direct calls to Adyen APIs, then you must handle the authentication as described below.

API key authentication

Authenticate your request by sending an API key in an x-API-key HTTP request header.

You can generate an API key from your Customer Area.

Basic authentication

Authenticate your request by sending a username and password in an Authorization HTTP request header.

Authorization: Basic YOUR_CREDENTIALS

In the header,YOUR_CREDENTIALS is the base64 encoded combination of the basic authentication username and password separated by a colon. For example, ws_12345@Company.YourCompany:YOUR_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD.

You can generate a basic authentication username and password from your Customer Area.

(Optional) Mutual authentication

To add an additional layer of security to the client-server communication and make sure that your API credential is only used by the authorised system, you may want to use mutual authentication.

If that is the case, contact our Support Team.