Authentication

Authenticate your API requests using an API key passed via header or query parameter.

API Keys

Every request to the AfroTools API must include a valid API key. You can obtain a key by signing up for a free account on afrotools.com.

Key Formats

Prefix	Environment	Description
afro_live_	Production	Use in production applications. Requests count against your plan quota.
afro_test_	Sandbox	Use during development. Returns sample data. Does not count against quota.

Passing Your Key

You can authenticate using either method. The header approach is recommended for production use.

Option 1: HTTP Header (Recommended)

Pass your API key in the x-api-key request header.

Option 2: Query Parameter

Append api_key as a query parameter to any endpoint URL. This method is useful for quick testing but is less secure since the key may appear in server logs and browser history.

Security note: Never expose your API key in client-side JavaScript on public websites. Use a backend proxy to keep your key secret.

Authentication Errors

Status	Error	Description
401	missing_api_key	No API key was provided in the request.
401	invalid_api_key	The API key is malformed or does not exist.
403	key_disabled	The API key has been disabled. Contact support.
429	rate_limit_exceeded	You have exceeded your plan's rate limit.

Header Authentication

curl -X GET "https://afrotools.com/api/forex?from=USD&to=NGN" \
  -H "x-api-key: afro_live_your_key_here"

const res = await fetch(
  "https://afrotools.com/api/forex?from=USD&to=NGN",
  {
    headers: {
      "x-api-key": "afro_live_your_key_here"
    }
  }
);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);

import requests

resp = requests.get(
    "https://afrotools.com/api/forex",
    params={"from": "USD", "to": "NGN"},
    headers={"x-api-key": "afro_live_your_key_here"}
)
data = resp.json()
print(data)

const axios = require("axios");

const { data } = await axios.get(
  "https://afrotools.com/api/forex",
  {
    params: { from: "USD", to: "NGN" },
    headers: { "x-api-key": "afro_live_your_key_here" }
  }
);
console.log(data);

$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL,
  "https://afrotools.com/api/forex?from=USD&to=NGN");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
  "x-api-key: afro_live_your_key_here"
]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true);
print_r($data);

Query Parameter Authentication

curl "https://afrotools.com/api/forex?from=USD&to=NGN&api_key=afro_live_your_key_here"

Error Response (401)

{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "missing_api_key",
    "message": "No API key provided. Include x-api-key header or api_key query parameter.",
    "docs": "https://afrotools.com/docs/api/authentication.html"
  }
}