​
Overview

Corbado provides two different APIs with distinct authentication methods:

  1. Frontend API: Uses session-based authentication
  2. Backend API: Uses HTTP Basic Authentication

​
Frontend API Authentication

The Frontend API uses session-based authentication. As a developer, you don’t need to handle the authentication details manually as they are automatically managed by our UI Components. The session management, token handling, and security measures are all built into our components.

​
Backend API Authentication

The Backend API uses HTTP Basic Authentication. You need to provide your Project ID and API Secret in the Authorization header of each request.

​
Getting Started

To get started with the Backend API, you’ll need to obtain your API credentials:

  1. Go to API Secrets in your Corbado dashboard
  2. Create a new API secret or use an existing one
  3. Keep your Project ID and API Secret secure - they provide full access to your Corbado account

​
Authentication Header Format

Authorization: Basic <base64-encoded-credentials>

Where <base64-encoded-credentials> is the Base64 encoding of projectID:apiSecret.

​
Example Request

curl --request GET \
  --url https://backendapi.corbado.io/v2/socialAccounts \
  --header 'Authorization: Basic <base64-encoded-credentials>'

​
Security Best Practices

  • Never expose your API Secret in client-side code
  • Never commit your API Secret to your source code management system (SCM)
  • Use professional secret management solutions (e.g., HashiCorp Vault)
  • Rotate your API Secret regularly
  • Use HTTPS for all API requests

​
Error Handling

If authentication fails, you’ll receive a 401 Unauthorized response. Common authentication errors include:

  • Invalid API credentials
  • Expired session tokens
  • Missing authentication headers
  • Malformed authentication headers

For more details about error handling, see our Error Types documentation.