---
title: "Authentication"
description: "How to authenticate with the Infisical Public API"
---

## Essentials

The Public API accepts multiple modes of authentication being via API Key or [Infisical Token](/documentation/platform/token).

- API Key: Provides full access to all endpoints representing the user without ability to encrypt/decrypt secrets in **E2EE** mode.
- [Infisical Token](/documentation/platform/token): Provides short-lived, scoped CRUD access to the secrets of a specific project and environment.

<AccordionGroup>
<Accordion title="API Key">
The API key mode uses an API key to authenticate with the API.

To authenticate requests with Infisical using the API Key, you must include an API key in the `X-API-KEY` header of HTTP requests made to the platform. 

You can obtain an API key in User Settings > API Keys

![API key dashboard](../../images/api-key-dashboard.png)
![API key in personal settings](../../images/api-key-settings.png)
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="Infisical Token">

The Infisical Token mode uses an Infisical Token to authenticate with the API.

To authenticate requests with Infisical using the Infisical Token, you must include your Infisical Token in the `Authorization` header of HTTP requests made to the platform with the value `Bearer <infisical_token>`.

You can obtain an Infisical Token in Project Settings > Service Tokens.

![token add](../../images/project-token-add.png)
</Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>