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

# Authentication

> How to authenticate with the Easier Prop API

## API Key

All Easier Prop API requests require an API key. Keys are issued by your administrator and start with `sk_`.

### X-API-Key Header (Recommended)

```bash theme={null}
curl -H "X-API-Key: sk_your_key" "https://api.easierprop.com/api/accounts"
```

Best for production applications. Keeps credentials out of URLs and logs.

### Bearer Token

```bash theme={null}
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_your_key" "https://api.easierprop.com/api/accounts"
```

Standard OAuth-style bearer authentication.

### Query Parameter (WebSocket only)

```
wss://api.easierprop.com/ws?apiKey=sk_your_key
```

Used exclusively for WebSocket connections where headers cannot be set during the upgrade handshake.

## Unauthenticated Request

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.easierprop.com/api/accounts"
```

**Response (401):**

```json theme={null}
{
  "ok": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "UNAUTHORIZED",
    "message": "API key required. Pass X-API-Key header or ?apiKey= query param"
  }
}
```

## Invalid Key

```bash theme={null}
curl -H "X-API-Key: sk_invalid_key" "https://api.easierprop.com/api/accounts"
```

**Response (401):**

```json theme={null}
{
  "ok": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "UNAUTHORIZED",
    "message": "Invalid API key"
  }
}
```

## Code Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```javascript JavaScript (fetch) theme={null}
  const API_KEY = "sk_your_key";

  const res = await fetch("https://api.easierprop.com/api/accounts", {
    headers: { "X-API-Key": API_KEY }
  });
  const { data: accounts } = await res.json();
  console.log(accounts);
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import requests

  response = requests.get(
      "https://api.easierprop.com/api/accounts",
      headers={"X-API-Key": "sk_your_key"}
  )
  accounts = response.json()["data"]
  print(accounts)
  ```

  ```python Python (place a trade) theme={null}
  import requests

  response = requests.post(
      "https://api.easierprop.com/api/accounts/{account_id}/orders",
      headers={
          "X-API-Key": "sk_your_key",
          "Content-Type": "application/json"
      },
      json={
          "symbol": "EURUSD",
          "side": "buy",
          "type": "market",
          "volume": 0.01
      }
  )
  order = response.json()["data"]
  print(f"Ticket: {order['ticket']}")
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## WebSocket Authentication

```javascript theme={null}
const ws = new WebSocket("wss://api.easierprop.com/ws?apiKey=sk_your_key");

ws.onopen = () => {
  console.log("Connected and authenticated");
};

ws.onclose = (event) => {
  if (event.code === 1008) {
    console.error("Authentication failed - check your API key");
  }
};
```

## Account Ownership

Each API key has a configurable MT5-account cap. The default is 4 accounts unless your admin grants more. Accounts are scoped to the key that created them, and attempting to access another key's account returns `ACCOUNT_NOT_FOUND`.