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  • Commerce Cloud/
    Authentication/
    Authentication API Overview

    Authentication API Overview

    All requests to the API need to be accompanied by an authorization header with an authentication token:

    Authorization: Bearer 212LJ3k0i2382364HIUEjfeJB98yvH
    

    Authentication token gives permissions for the client to access their data, and is used to authenticate a request to the API endpoint.

    Read our Quick Start guide on how to make your first API request.

    Authentication tokens are generated via the authentication endpoint and expire within 1 hour. They need to be then regenerated. If you’re using our JavaScript SDK, this is automatically handled for you.

    There are two main token types available for use within your store client_credentials and implicit. The implicit token is the more limited of the two, restricting access to mostly read-only, whereas client credential token has full read and write access.

    For more details on token formatting, see Content Type.

    Do not use or disclose your client_secret in public.

    Attributes

    AttributeTypeDescription
    expirestimestampThe epoch time that this token expires at.
    identifierstringThe type of token requested. This can be a client_credentials or implicit.
    expires_inintegerThe duration in seconds after which the token expires.
    access_tokenstringThe access token you use for subsequent authenticated requests to the API.
    token_typestringRight now this is only Bearer.

    Sample Response

    {
      "expires": 1500638876,
      "identifier": "client_credentials",
      "expires_in": 3600,
      "access_token": "xa3521ca621113e44eeed9232fa3e54571cb08bc",
      "token_type": "Bearer"
    }
    

    Client Credentials vs. Implicit Use Case Scenarios

    Typically, you would use the implicit authentication method for client-side browser based applications (i.e. frontend), and client credentials for all administrative tasks (CRUD) you need to perform at the backend.

    Customer Authentication

    You can also generate customer tokens to authenticate the customers with single sign-on, or email address and password. You must use customer token with the implicit token to access orders or customer APIs. Using the tokens, you can create and filter orders and addresses.

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