Authentication¶

Learn how to authenticate with the Circuit KYC Network API.

API Keys¶

All API requests require authentication using an API key. Include your key in the X-API-Key header:

curl -H "X-API-Key: sk_sandbox_your-key" \
  https://sandbox.circuit-kyc.com/api/v1/check-eligibility

Environment	Use Case
Sandbox	Development & testing
Production	Live customer data

Your key type is automatically detected based on its prefix.

Keep Keys Secret

Never expose API keys in client-side code, version control, or logs.

Environment	Base URL	Purpose
Sandbox	`https://sandbox.circuit-kyc.com`	Testing without real data
Production	`https://api.circuit-kyc.com`	Live operations

Sandbox: - Free test credits included - Uses simulated data - No real KYC network access - Perfect for development

Production: - Real network data - Actual credit charges - Subject to compliance requirements - Full rate limits apply

For security, rotate your API keys periodically:

Zero-Downtime Rotation

Keep both keys active during transition to avoid service interruption.

To revoke a compromised key immediately:

The key is invalidated immediately.

SDKs handle authentication automatically:

PythonTypeScript

from circuit_kyc import CircuitClient

# Key is automatically included in all requests
client = CircuitClient(api_key="sk_sandbox_your-key")

import { CircuitClient } from '@circuit-kyc/sdk';

const client = new CircuitClient({ apiKey: 'sk_sandbox_your-key' });

{
  "detail": "Invalid or expired API key"
}

Causes: - Invalid API key - Expired/revoked key - Wrong environment (sandbox key with production URL)

Solution: - Verify your API key is correct - Check you're using the right environment - Generate a new key if compromised

Use environment variables

export CIRCUIT_API_KEY="sk_sandbox_..."