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Overview

All Forerunner API requests require authentication using Bearer tokens passed in the Authorization header. This ensures secure access to your organization’s data and maintains audit trails for API activity.

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Getting your API key

API keys are provided by Forerunner and are organization-specific. To obtain an API key:
1

Contact your Customer Success Manager

Reach out to your Customer Success Manager to request API access.
2

Or email our team

Send a request to engineering@withforerunner.com with your organization name and use case.
3

Receive your API key

You’ll receive a long-lived API key that can be used for all API requests.

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Using your API key

Include your API key in the Authorization header of every request:
cURL
curl https://app.withforerunner.com/api/v1/properties \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

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API key lifecycle

API keys are long-lived but may be rotated for security reasons. Always store API keys securely and be prepared to update your integration if notified of an API key rotation.

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API key security best practices

  • Never commit API keys to version control
  • Use environment variables or secure secret management systems
  • Rotate API keys periodically as a security best practice
  • Only share API keys with authorized team members
  • Use separate API keys for different environments when possible
  • Monitor API usage for unexpected patterns
  • Implement proper error handling for 401 Unauthorized responses
  • Log authentication failures for security monitoring
  • Have a process to quickly rotate compromised API keys

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Authentication errors

If authentication fails, you’ll receive a 401 Unauthorized response: 
{
  "error": "Unauthorized",
  "message": "Invalid or missing API key"
}

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Common authentication issues

IssueSolution
Missing Bearer prefixEnsure your Authorization header includes Bearer before the API key
Expired or revoked API keyContact your Customer Success Manager for a new API key
Wrong environmentVerify you’re using the correct base URL (staging vs production)
Whitespace in API keyTrim any extra spaces from your API key value

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Testing your authentication

Use this simple request to verify your API key is working: 
curl https://app.withforerunner.com/api/v1/properties?page=1 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
A successful response indicates your authentication is configured correctly.