---
title: 'Authentication'
description: "How to authenticate your requests to Unkey's API"
---

You'll need to authenticate your requests to access some of the endpoints in the Unkey API. In this guide, we'll look at how authentication works.

## Bearer Token

When requesting resources, you will need your root key — you will find it in the [Dashboard](https://app.unkey.com/settings/root-keys). Here's how to add the root key to the request header using cURL:

```bash
curl https://api.unkey.dev/v1/... \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer unkey_xxx"
```

Always keep your root key safe and reset it if you suspect it has been compromised.
