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Overview

The Axion SDK uses API key authentication to secure access to financial data endpoints. This guide covers how to obtain, configure, and manage your API keys.

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Getting Your API Key

1

Sign up for an account

Visit the Axion platform and create an account to get started.
2

Generate an API key

Navigate to your account dashboard and generate a new API key for your application.
3

Copy and store securely

Save your API key in a secure location. You’ll need it to initialize the SDK client.
Never commit API keys to version control or share them publicly. Treat them like passwords.

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Basic Authentication

Initialize the Axion client with your API key: 
import { Axion } from '@axionquant/sdk';

const client = new Axion('your-api-key-here');
When you provide an API key during initialization, the SDK automatically:
  1. Adds an Authorization header to all requests
  2. Uses the format: Bearer your-api-key-here
  3. Validates authentication before making requests

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Environment Variables

The recommended approach is to store your API key in environment variables:
1

Create a .env file

Create a .env file in your project root:
.env
AXION_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
2

Add .env to .gitignore

Ensure your .env file is not committed to version control:
.gitignore
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
3

Load environment variables

Use a package like dotenv to load environment variables:
npm install dotenv
4

Initialize the client

Access the API key from environment variables:
import 'dotenv/config';
import { Axion } from '@axionquant/sdk';

const client = new Axion(process.env.AXION_API_KEY);

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Authentication Flow

Here’s how the SDK handles authentication internally:

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Authentication Requirements

The SDK automatically determines whether authentication is required for each endpoint: 
// These endpoints require an API key
const stock = await client.stocks.ticker('AAPL');
const prices = await client.stocks.prices('AAPL');
const sentiment = await client.sentiment.all('AAPL');
const financials = await client.financials.metrics('AAPL');
Most endpoints require authentication. When an API key is required but not provided, the SDK throws an error: "Authentication required but no API key provided to client."

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Error Handling

The SDK provides clear error messages for authentication issues: 
import { Axion } from '@axionquant/sdk';

const client = new Axion(); // No API key

try {
  const stock = await client.stocks.ticker('AAPL');
} catch (error) {
  if (error.message.includes('Authentication required')) {
    console.error('Please provide an API key');
    console.error('Initialize with: new Axion("your-api-key")');
  }
}

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Common Authentication Errors

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Authentication required but no API key provided to client
error
Cause: Trying to access an authenticated endpoint without providing an API key.Solution: Initialize the client with your API key: new Axion('your-api-key')
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HTTP Error 401: Unauthorized
error
Cause: Invalid or expired API key.Solution: Verify your API key is correct and hasn’t been revoked. Generate a new key if needed.
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HTTP Error 403: Forbidden
error
Cause: Valid API key but insufficient permissions for the requested resource.Solution: Check your account permissions or upgrade your plan.

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Security Best Practices

Always store API keys in environment variables, never hardcode them:
// Good
const client = new Axion(process.env.AXION_API_KEY);

// Bad - never do this!
const client = new Axion('sk_live_1234567890');
Use different API keys for development, staging, and production environments:
const apiKey = process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production'
  ? process.env.AXION_API_KEY_PROD
  : process.env.AXION_API_KEY_DEV;

const client = new Axion(apiKey);
Periodically rotate your API keys to maintain security:
  1. Generate a new API key
  2. Update your application’s environment variables
  3. Deploy the changes
  4. Revoke the old API key
Keep track of:
  • Request volume per API key
  • Unusual access patterns
  • Failed authentication attempts
  • Geographic origin of requests
If the platform supports it, create API keys with limited scopes:
  • Read-only keys for data retrieval
  • Separate keys for different services
  • Time-limited keys for temporary access

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Advanced Configuration

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Custom Headers

The SDK automatically manages the Authorization header, but you can access the underlying axios client for advanced configuration: 
import { Axion } from '@axionquant/sdk';

const client = new Axion('your-api-key');

// The Authorization header is automatically set to:
// Authorization: Bearer your-api-key

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Multiple Clients

You can create multiple client instances with different API keys: 
const clientProd = new Axion(process.env.AXION_API_KEY_PROD);
const clientDev = new Axion(process.env.AXION_API_KEY_DEV);

// Use different clients for different purposes
const prodData = await clientProd.stocks.ticker('AAPL');
const devData = await clientDev.stocks.ticker('TEST');

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Testing Without Authentication

For development and testing with a local server that doesn’t require authentication: 
// Initialize without an API key
const client = new Axion();

// Only works if your test server doesn't require auth
try {
  const data = await client.stocks.ticker('AAPL');
  console.log('Test data:', data);
} catch (error) {
  if (error.message.includes('Authentication required')) {
    console.log('This endpoint requires authentication');
  }
}
This approach only works with endpoints that explicitly don’t require authentication or when testing against a local development server.

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Authentication Source Code

Here’s how authentication is implemented in the SDK (from src/index.ts:389-400, 422-435): 
class Axion {
  private apiKey?: string;
  
  constructor(apiKey?: string) {
    this.apiKey = apiKey;
    this.client = axios.create({
      baseURL: BASE_URL,
      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" }
    });
    
    if (apiKey) {
      this.client.defaults.headers.common["Authorization"] = `Bearer ${this.apiKey}`;
    }
  }
  
  async _request(method, path, params, data, authRequired = true) {
    if (!authRequired) {
      delete config.headers["Authorization"];
    } else if (authRequired && !this.apiKey) {
      throw new Error("Authentication required but no API key provided to client.");
    }
    // ... make request
  }
}

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Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Start building with authenticated API requests

API Reference

Explore all available endpoints

Error Handling

Learn how to handle authentication errors

FAQ

Common questions about API usage