Authentication

Authenticate API requests using Bearer tokens. API keys are scoped to specific permissions and tied to your instance.

API Keys

Generate API keys from your dashboard under Settings → API Keys. Each key has:

  • A unique key ID (prefix snk_live_ for production, snk_test_ for sandbox)
  • Assigned scopes controlling what the key can access
  • Optional expiration date
  • Activity log showing last used time and IP

Using Your API Key

Include the key in the Authorization header of every request:


curl -H "Authorization: Bearer snk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" \
      https://api.sentinelnerd.com/v1/events

Warning

Never expose API keys in client-side code, Git repositories, or public URLs. Treat API keys like passwords. If a key is compromised, revoke it immediately from the dashboard.

Scopes

API keys are granted specific scopes that control access:

Scope Access Description
events:readReadQuery and search events
events:writeWriteSubmit custom events
rules:readReadList and view detection rules
rules:writeWriteCreate, update, and delete rules
alerts:readReadList and view alerts
alerts:writeWriteAcknowledge, resolve, and manage alerts
response:executeExecuteTrigger active response actions
adminFullFull access to all API endpoints

Least privilege

Always use the minimum scopes needed. A monitoring dashboard only needs events:read and alerts:read. A CI/CD pipeline deploying rules needs rules:read and rules:write.

API Key Management

POST /v1/api-keys

Create a new API key with specified scopes.

Parameter Type Required Description
name string Required Human-readable name for the key
scopes string[] Required Array of scope strings
expires_at ISO 8601 Optional Expiration date (default: never)
Create API Key 
curl -X POST https://api.sentinelnerd.com/v1/api-keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer snk_live_admin_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Monitoring Dashboard",
    "scopes": ["events:read", "alerts:read"],
    "expires_at": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"
  }'
Response 
{
  "data": {
    "id": "key_abc123",
    "name": "Monitoring Dashboard",
    "key": "snk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "scopes": ["events:read", "alerts:read"],
    "expires_at": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "created_at": "2025-01-15T14:32:01Z"
  }
}

Warning

The full API key is only shown once at creation time. Store it securely. If lost, you'll need to create a new key.
GET /v1/api-keys

List all API keys for the current instance.

DELETE /v1/api-keys/:id

Revoke an API key immediately. All requests using this key will return 401.

Token Rotation

We recommend rotating API keys periodically:

  1. Create a new key with the same scopes
  2. Update your applications to use the new key
  3. Verify the new key is working
  4. Revoke the old key