Authentication

Shadai uses API keys for secure authentication. This guide will help you set up your credentials.

Getting Your API Key

Navigate to API Keys page (accessible from your sidebar)

Click Create New Key

Give your key a descriptive name

Copy your API key immediately (you'll only see it once!)

Configuration Methods

Method 1: Environment Variables (Recommended)

Create a .env file in your project root:

Load it in your code:

Method 2: Direct Initialization

Pass the API key directly (not recommended for production):

Method 3: Context Manager with API Key

Environment Variables Reference

Variable	Description	Default	Required
`SHADAI_API_KEY`	Your API key	-	✅
`SHADAI_BASE_URL`	API base URL	`http://localhost`	❌
`SHADAI_TIMEOUT`	Request timeout (seconds)	`30`	❌

Security Best Practices

✅ Do This

Store API keys in .env files

Add .env to .gitignore

Use different keys for dev/staging/production

Rotate keys regularly

Use environment-specific secrets management (AWS Secrets Manager, etc.)

❌ Don't Do This

Hard-code API keys in source code

Commit API keys to version control

Share API keys via email or chat

Use the same key across all environments

Store keys in plain text files

Example .gitignore

# Environment variables
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

# API keys
*_api_key*
secrets/

Testing Authentication

Verify your authentication is working:

Expected output:

✅ Authentication successful! Status: ok

Error Handling

Invalid API Key

Missing API Key

Multiple Accounts

Working with multiple Shadai accounts:

Custom Base URL

For self-hosted or enterprise deployments:

Next Steps

✅ Authentication configured! Let's run your first query.

→ Quick Start Guide

Getting Your API Key#

Configuration Methods#

Method 1: Environment Variables (Recommended)#

Method 2: Direct Initialization#

Method 3: Context Manager with API Key#

Environment Variables Reference#

Security Best Practices#

✅ Do This#

❌ Don't Do This#

Example .gitignore#

Testing Authentication#

Error Handling#

Invalid API Key#

Missing API Key#

Multiple Accounts#

Custom Base URL#

Next Steps#