Authentication

The GenerateInvoice API uses API keys to authenticate requests. You can view and manage your API keys in your account dashboard.

API Key Authentication

Authentication to the API is performed via HTTP Bearer authentication. Provide your API key as the bearer token in the Authorization header.

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  https://api.generateinvoice.com/v1/invoices

How to Get Your API Key

1. Log in to your GenerateInvoice dashboard
2. Navigate to Settings in the sidebar
3. Click on API Keys
4. Click Create New Key
5. Give your key a descriptive name (e.g., "Production Server")
6. Choose the environment (Test or Live)
7. Copy your new API key immediately - it won't be shown again!

Key Format

GenerateInvoice API keys have a specific format to help you identify them:

Request Headers

Include these headers in every API request:

Test vs Live Keys

GenerateInvoice provides two types of API keys for different purposes:

Test Keys (gi_test_...)

• Use during development and testing
• Documents created are marked as test data
• No emails are actually sent (logged instead)
• Does not count against your usage limits
• PDFs include a "TEST" watermark

Live Keys (gi_live_...)

• Use in production environments
• Creates real documents
• Emails are sent to actual recipients
• Counts against your usage limits
• Professional PDFs without watermarks

Code Examples

Here are examples of how to authenticate in different programming languages:

# Using Bearer authentication
curl -X GET "https://api.generateinvoice.com/v1/invoices" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer gi_live_your_api_key_here"

# With additional headers
curl -X POST "https://api.generateinvoice.com/v1/invoices" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer gi_live_your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Request-ID: my-custom-id-123" \
  -d '{"document_type": "invoice", ...}'

Storing API Keys Securely

Never hardcode your API keys in your source code. Instead, use environment variables:

# Never commit this file to version control!
GENERATEINVOICE_API_KEY=gi_live_your_api_key_here

# You can also separate test and live keys
GENERATEINVOICE_TEST_KEY=gi_test_your_test_key_here
GENERATEINVOICE_LIVE_KEY=gi_live_your_live_key_here

Revoking API Keys

If you believe your API key has been compromised, revoke it immediately:

1. Go to Settings → API Keys in your dashboard
2. Find the compromised key
3. Click the Revoke button
4. Create a new API key
5. Update your application with the new key

Revoked keys are immediately invalidated. Any requests using a revoked key will receive a 401 Unauthorized response.

Authentication Errors

When authentication fails, the API returns one of these error codes:

{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "INVALID_API_KEY",
    "message": "The provided API key is invalid or has been revoked."
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_abc123",
    "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  }
}