> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.awardforce.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authentication

> Authenticate Award Force API requests using a private API key.

All API endpoints use private API keys with API key scopes to authenticate
requests. If you do not use an API key for your requests, or if you use
a key from the wrong account, your call will return a `403 Forbidden` error.

Authentication is performed by setting the following request header:

<ParamField header="x-api-key" type="string" required>
  Valid API key used for authentication and authorisation.

  Example:

  ```bash Request theme={null}
  curl -H "x-api-key: {api_key}" \
    -H "Accept: application/vnd.Creative Force.v2.3+json" \
    https://api.us.cr4ce.com/account
  ```
</ParamField>