> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.orthogonal.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authentication

> How to authenticate with the Orthogonal API

## API Keys

All requests to Orthogonal require an API key in the `Authorization` header:

```bash theme={null}
Authorization: Bearer orth_live_xxxxxxxxxxxx
```

## Getting Your Key

1. Sign in at [orthogonal.com](https://orthogonal.com)
2. Go to [Dashboard → API Keys](https://orthogonal.com/dashboard/settings/api-keys)
3. Copy your API key

## Key Types

| Type | Prefix       | Use Case                                  |
| ---- | ------------ | ----------------------------------------- |
| Live | `orth_live_` | Production usage, charged to your account |
| Test | `orth_test_` | Testing, no charges (limited APIs)        |

## Environment Variables

We recommend storing your key in an environment variable:

```bash theme={null}
export ORTHOGONAL_API_KEY=orth_live_xxxxxxxxxxxx
```

Then reference it in your code:

<CodeGroup>
  ```javascript Node.js theme={null}
  const apiKey = process.env.ORTHOGONAL_API_KEY;
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import os
  api_key = os.environ['ORTHOGONAL_API_KEY']
  ```

  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $ORTHOGONAL_API_KEY" ...
  ```
</CodeGroup>