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Every request to the FocusAlpha Data API (except GET /v1/health and GET /v1/ready) must carry an API key.

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Sending your key

Two header forms are accepted. Authorization: Bearer is preferred:
A missing, malformed, unknown, or revoked key returns:

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Key format

Keys look like fa_live_ followed by 40 hex characters — 48 characters in total:
The value above is illustrative — real keys are random.
  • The full key is displayed exactly once, at creation. Only a SHA-256 hash is stored server-side, so a lost key cannot be recovered — revoke it and create a new one.
  • In the dashboard and in usage reports, keys are identified by their first 12 characters (for example fa_live_7fb3).

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Managing keys

Keys are managed in the dashboard under Settings → API keys:
  • Create — optionally give the key a name (up to 80 characters) describing where it’s used. You can hold up to 5 active keys.
  • Revoke — takes effect immediately. Revoked keys return 401 on their next request.
Your plan and credit balance belong to your account; rate limits apply per key. Using separate keys per service or environment gives each its own rate-limit budget and lets you revoke one integration without breaking the others.

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Security best practices

API keys are secrets. Anyone holding a key can spend your credits and read every dataset your plan unlocks.
  • Server-side only. The API enforces a server-to-server CORS policy — browsers cannot call it from arbitrary web origins, and keys must never ship in client-side code, mobile apps, or public repositories.
  • Use environment variables or a secret manager; never hardcode keys in source.
  • Rotate on exposure. If a key leaks, revoke it in the dashboard immediately and create a replacement — revocation is instant.
  • One key per integration. Scoped keys make rotation and usage attribution painless.

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Request IDs

Every response includes a request identifier. Send your own X-Request-ID header to correlate requests with your logs, or let the API generate one. Include it when contacting support@focusalpha.ai — it lets us trace the exact request.

Plans & credits

What each plan unlocks and how calls are metered.

Rate limits

Per-key request budgets by plan.