ShelfBase

Authentication

Every request to a /v1/products/* endpoint requires an API key. Keys are tied to a user account and a plan. They never expire unless you set an expiry.

Sending the key

Two headers are accepted. Prefer Authorization: Bearer.

Authorization: Bearer sb_live_...

# or
X-API-Key: sb_live_...

Getting a key

Sign up, verify your email, and a Free-tier key is issued automatically. Find it under Dashboard → API keys.

  1. Go to Sign up.
  2. Confirm the email we send you. The link expires in 24 hours.
  3. Save the full key shown on the verify page — you will not see it again.

Key format

All keys are prefixed with sb_live_ followed by 48 hex characters.

sb_live_2c2d68c6fc5996f37cf26a3ca1a5b78a72caaa58af13d352

The first 16 characters (e.g. sb_live_2c2d68c6) are stored in plaintext as the key's prefix, so you can identify keys in the dashboard without ever seeing the full value.

Multiple keys

Up to 5 active keys per account. Use one per environment (production, staging, local) so a leak in one place does not compromise everything.

Each key tracks its own monthly request count and last-used timestamp.

Expiry

Optional. Set when creating a key — presets are 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, or a custom date. Expired keys return 401 API key expired. An expired key cannot be reactivated; create a new one.

Rotation and revocation

To rotate, create a new key, update your applications, then revoke the old one. Revocation is immediate.

What requires auth

  • /v1/products/:ean — requires a key
  • /v1/products/search — requires a key
  • /v1/stats — public, no key needed