Authentication

All External API requests require an API key. Keys are scoped to your user account and inherit your subscription/credit limits, provider permissions, and rate limits.

Passing your API key

Use either header style:

X-API-Key: pk_your-api-key-here

Authorization: Bearer pk_your-api-key-here

Both are accepted on GET and POST https://abzar-ai.com/api/external/ai.

Valid keys always start with pk_. Invalid format returns 401 with Invalid API key format before other validation.

Creating and managing keys

1. Go to Dashboard → Settings → API Keys on abzar-ai.com
2. Create a key with an optional name and restrictions
3. Optionally limit:
   • Allowed providers
   • Allowed models
   • Rate limit per hour
   • Maximum reply length per request
   • Expiration date

Revoke unused keys immediately from the same page.

Security best practices

• Never commit API keys to source control
• Prefer server-side usage over browser-side calls
• Rotate keys periodically and after any suspected leak
• Scope keys to the minimum providers and models you need
• Use separate keys for development and production

Missing or invalid key

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "API key is required. Please provide it in X-API-Key header or Authorization header."
}

HTTP status: 401 Unauthorized

Restricted key responses

If a key is valid but blocked by policy, the API returns details such as:

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Provider not allowed for this API key",
  "details": {
    "isExpired": false,
    "isProviderAllowed": false,
    "isModelAllowed": true,
    "isRateLimited": false,
    "remainingHourlyRequests": 42
  }
}

Typical statuses:

Condition	Status
Expired key	401
Rate limited	429
Provider/model not allowed	403
Invalid key / bad format	401

Next: API Overview