The Compute API uses bearer-token authentication. Every request must include an API key in the Authorization header.
Treat API keys like passwords. Anyone with a valid key can act with the permissions of the account it belongs to.
Get an API key
API keys are currently issued manually. Contact support@hivenet.com to request one.
There is no public endpoint for creating, listing, rotating, or revoking API keys in this release. If a key needs to be replaced, contact Support.
Send your key
Add the key to every request:
For local testing, you can store it in an environment variable:
Then reference it in requests:
Environment variables are convenient for local testing, but use your deployment environment’s secret manager for production workloads.
Understand access
An API key is scoped to the account it belongs to. It can only see and act on that account’s instances. Regions and presets are shared catalogue data.
A successful GET /instances response can contain an empty data array if the account has no matching instances.
Common authentication errors
Keep API keys safe
- Don’t commit API keys to source control.
- Don’t put them in URLs or client-side code.
- Don’t paste them into public issues, screenshots, or shared documents.
- Replace a key through Support if it may have been exposed.
Next step
Continue with Work with instances to understand instance lifecycle actions. 
