> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developers.felt.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developers.felt.com/rest-api/authentication.md).

# Authentication

All calls to the Felt API authenticate with a personal access token sent as a `Bearer` token in the request header:

```http
Authorization: Bearer <API Token>
```

Tokens start with the `felt_pat_` prefix. Since a token grants access to your account, store it securely — treat it like a password. Prefer environment variables or a secrets manager over hardcoding tokens in source code.

## Creating a token

You can create an API token in the [Developers tab of the Workspace Settings page](https://felt.com/maps/latest/developers):

<figure><img src="/files/sfwubRDKAIdShrjmBZku" alt=""><figcaption><p>Generate as many API tokens as you need</p></figcaption></figure>

<div><figure><img src="/files/yljedkWCSC2stEUNH5bW" alt=""><figcaption><p>Give your API token a unique name</p></figcaption></figure> <figure><img src="/files/FiJ7IB6GfEi6fvw7ri7E" alt=""><figcaption><p>Make sure to copy your token to a secure location</p></figcaption></figure></div>

Be sure to take note of the token before closing the dialog; you won't have a second chance to view it. Only a hash of your token is stored on Felt's servers.

## How tokens behave

* **Workspace-scoped.** Each token belongs to the workspace it was created in and can only access that workspace's resources. Requests against another workspace's resources fail with `401`.
* **They act as you.** Requests made with your token have your account's permissions in that workspace.
* **No expiry.** Tokens remain valid until revoked. To rotate a token, create a new one in workspace settings, switch your integration over, and revoke the old one.
* **Failed authentication returns `401`** with a JSON body explaining the problem — see [Errors and rate limits](/rest-api/errors-and-rate-limits.md).

## Making an authenticated request

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="curl" %}

```bash
# This looks like:
# FELT_API_TOKEN="felt_pat_ABCDEFUDQPAGGNBmX40YNhkCRvvLI3f8/BCwD/g8"
FELT_API_TOKEN="<YOUR_API_TOKEN>"

curl \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${FELT_API_TOKEN}" \
  "https://felt.com/api/v2/user"
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Python" %}

```python
import requests

# This looks like:
# api_token = "felt_pat_ABCDEFUDQPAGGNBmX40YNhkCRvvLI3f8/BCwD/g8"
api_token = "<YOUR_API_TOKEN>"

r = requests.get(
  "https://felt.com/api/v2/user",
  headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {api_token}"}
)
assert r.ok
print(r.json())
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

A successful response returns your user details, confirming the token works:

```json
{
  "id": "AbC123dEfG456hIjK789lM",
  "type": "user",
  "name": "Your Name",
  "email": "you@example.com"
}
```

From here, head to [Getting started](/rest-api/getting-started.md) to create your first map via the API.


---

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