Authentication

All Inherent API requests require authentication using an API key.

Creating an API Key

1. Log in to the Inherent Dashboard
2. Navigate to Settings → API Keys
3. Click Create API Key
4. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Production Backend")
5. Copy the key immediately - you won't see it again!

Using Your API Key

Include your API key in the Authorization header:

curl -X GET https://api.inherent.systems/v1/documents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer inh_live_abc123..."

API Key Types

Type	Prefix	Use Case
Live	inh_live_	Production applications
Test	inh_test_	Development and testing

Test keys work identically to live keys but are isolated to a test environment.

Security Best Practices

Do

• Store API keys in environment variables
• Use different keys for different environments
• Rotate keys periodically
• Use the minimum required permissions

Don't

• Commit API keys to version control
• Share keys between team members
• Use production keys in development
• Log API keys in application logs

Rate Limits

Rate limits vary by plan:

Plan	Requests/minute	Requests/day
Starter	60	10,000
Pro	300	100,000
Team	1,000	500,000
Enterprise	Custom	Custom

When you exceed rate limits, you'll receive a 429 Too Many Requests response:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limit_exceeded",
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded. Retry after 60 seconds.",
    "retry_after": 60
  }
}

Revoking API Keys

To revoke a compromised key:

1. Go to Settings → API Keys
2. Find the key to revoke
3. Click the Revoke button
4. Confirm revocation

Revoked keys immediately stop working. Make sure to update your application with a new key first.