Authentication

All API requests require an API key passed via the X-API-Key header. See also the Authentication API Reference for a quick-reference version.

Making Authenticated Requests

curl

curl "https://api.silentwitness.ai/api/cases" \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk-your-api-key-here"

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "sk-your-api-key-here"
BASE_URL = "https://api.silentwitness.ai"

resp = requests.get(
    f"{BASE_URL}/api/cases",
    headers={"X-API-Key": API_KEY},
)

TypeScript

const resp = await fetch("https://api.silentwitness.ai/api/cases", {
  headers: { "X-API-Key": "sk-your-api-key-here" },
});

Go

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.silentwitness.ai/api/cases", nil)
req.Header.Set("X-API-Key", "sk-your-api-key-here")
resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)

Getting an API Key

1. Log into the Silent Witness dashboard
2. Navigate to Settings > API Keys
3. Click Create API Key
4. Copy the key — it won't be shown again

API Key Format

API keys start with sk- and are 64 characters long:

sk-a1b2c3d4e5f6...

Environment Variables

Store your API key in environment variables — never hardcode it in source code.

curl

export API_KEY="sk-your-api-key-here"

curl "https://api.silentwitness.ai/api/cases" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY"

Python

import os

API_KEY = os.environ["API_KEY"]

TypeScript

const API_KEY = process.env.API_KEY;

Go

apiKey := os.Getenv("API_KEY")

Account Association

• API keys are tied to your account — all usage is billed to your account
• Cases created via API keys appear in your dashboard alongside UI-created cases
• Each API key has independent rate limits

Authentication Errors

If the API key is missing or invalid, you'll receive a 401 response:

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Invalid API key",
  "error_code": "unauthorized",
  "error_type": "authentication_error",
  "request_id": "req_abc123"
}

Security Best Practices

• Never commit API keys to version control
• Use environment variables in all environments
• Rotate keys periodically from the dashboard
• Use separate keys for development and production
• If a key is compromised, revoke it immediately from the dashboard