Authentication

Authenticate Clearlayer API requests using your API key.

Clearlayer uses API key authentication via the HTTP Authorization header. Every request (except GET /v1/health) must include a Bearer token. Requests without a valid key are rejected with a 401 response.

Your API key

The sandbox API key is:

cl_test_key_1234567890

Use this key for all sandbox requests. See the Sandbox guide for details on available test data.

Making authenticated requests

Pass your API key in the Authorization header on every request:

Authorization: Bearer cl_test_key_1234567890

curl

curl https://clearlayer-api-production.up.railway.app/v1/investors \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cl_test_key_1234567890"

Store your API key in an environment variable rather than hardcoding it in scripts or source files.

export CLEARLAYER_API_KEY="cl_test_key_1234567890"

curl https://clearlayer-api-production.up.railway.app/v1/investors \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CLEARLAYER_API_KEY"

GET /v1/health does not require authentication. All other endpoints require a valid Authorization: Bearer <API_KEY> header.

Error responses

The API returns 401 for two distinct authentication failures.

Missing or malformed header

Returned when the Authorization header is absent or does not start with Bearer .

{
  "error": "unauthorized",
  "message": "Missing or malformed Authorization header. Expected: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
  "docs": "https://docs.clearlayer.io/authentication"
}

Invalid API key

Returned when the header is correctly formed but the key is not recognized.

{
  "error": "invalid_api_key",
  "message": "The provided API key is not valid. Check your key or generate a new one.",
  "docs": "https://docs.clearlayer.io/authentication"
}