API access

Every call to the Human Crash Baselines API needs an API key. This page explains how to get one and how to use it.

Request a key

API access is granted on request. Email humanbaselines@valgo.ai to request a key. A short note on your use case helps us provision the right access. You can also submit feedback or ask questions at the same address.

Use your key

Keys look like hbk_…. Pass yours to the client explicitly, or set the HUMANBASELINES_API_KEY environment variable and omit it:

from humanbaselines import HumanBaselines

hb = HumanBaselines(api_key="hbk_...")

export HUMANBASELINES_API_KEY="hbk_..."

hb = HumanBaselines()   # key read from the environment

The client sends it automatically as the X-API-Key header on every request. If no key is found, the constructor raises ValueError immediately; it never makes an unauthenticated request.

Keep keys out of source

Standard hygiene: We prefer the environment variable (or a secrets manager) over hard-coding the key. Don't commit keys to version control.

What the server enforces

Situation	Response
Valid key	Request proceeds.
Missing or invalid key	401 → AuthenticationError.
Server has no keys configured	503 → ServiceUnavailableError (fails closed; never serves an open API).

Keys are compared in constant time, so an invalid key reveals nothing about a valid one through timing.

Next steps

• Installation — install the client.
• Quickstart — your first request.