Authentication

API Key Authentication

All API requests must include your API key in the request header.

X-API-Key: your_api_key_here

Keys are prefixed bw_ followed by 32 random characters. There is no separate test/live key — every key is live and bills against your credit balance.

curl -X GET "https://api.bouncewatch.com/api/v1/company/stripe.com" \
  -H "X-API-Key: bw_9f3c2a71d84e05b6c1f7a92d3e480b5c" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

const response = await fetch('https://api.bouncewatch.com/api/v1/company/stripe.com', {
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': 'bw_9f3c2a71d84e05b6c1f7a92d3e480b5c',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  }
});

import requests

response = requests.get(
    'https://api.bouncewatch.com/api/v1/company/stripe.com',
    headers={
        'X-API-Key': 'bw_9f3c2a71d84e05b6c1f7a92d3e480b5c',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
)

$ch = curl_init('https://api.bouncewatch.com/api/v1/company/stripe.com');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
    'X-API-Key: bw_9f3c2a71d84e05b6c1f7a92d3e480b5c',
    'Content-Type: application/json'
]);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true);

Getting Your API Key

Go to BounceWatch Dashboard

Copy Your API Key

Your API key is displayed on the dashboard. Copy it to use in your requests.

Security Best Practices

Do's

Store API keys in environment variables
Use HTTPS for all requests
Rotate keys periodically
Use different keys for different environments
Monitor usage for anomalies

Don'ts

Commit API keys to version control
Share keys publicly or in logs
Use keys in client-side JavaScript
Reuse keys across environments
Share keys via email or chat

Environment Variables

Store your API key securely using environment variables:

Node.js
Python
PHP
Shell

.env

BOUNCEWATCH_API_KEY=bw_9f3c2a71d84e05b6c1f7a92d3e480b5c

app.js

require('dotenv').config();
const API_KEY = process.env.BOUNCEWATCH_API_KEY;

.env

BOUNCEWATCH_API_KEY=bw_9f3c2a71d84e05b6c1f7a92d3e480b5c

app.py

import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()
API_KEY = os.getenv('BOUNCEWATCH_API_KEY')

.env

BOUNCEWATCH_API_KEY=bw_9f3c2a71d84e05b6c1f7a92d3e480b5c

config.php

<?php
$dotenv = Dotenv\Dotenv::createImmutable(__DIR__);
$dotenv->load();

$apiKey = $_ENV['BOUNCEWATCH_API_KEY'];

export BOUNCEWATCH_API_KEY=bw_9f3c2a71d84e05b6c1f7a92d3e480b5c

curl -H "X-API-Key: $BOUNCEWATCH_API_KEY" \
  https://api.bouncewatch.com/api/v1/company/stripe.com

Authentication Errors

HTTP	`error`	Solution
`401`	`missing_api_key`	Add the `X-API-Key` header
`401`	`invalid_api_key`	Check the key — it may have been regenerated
`403`	`api_key_disabled`	Account suspended; contact support
`403`	`ip_not_allowed`	Your calling IP is outside the key’s allow-list
`402`	`subscription_required`	Subscription expired — upgrade in the billing panel

Error Response

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "invalid_api_key",
  "message": "The provided API key is not valid"
}

Keys do not expire on their own. A key stops working only if it is regenerated, the account is suspended, or the subscription lapses.

Key Rotation

For enhanced security, you can regenerate your API key periodically:

Regenerate Key

Click “Regenerate” in the dashboard to create a new API key. This will immediately invalidate your current key.

Update Your Application

Update your environment variables with the new key.

Test

Verify your application works with the new key.

Regenerating your API key will immediately invalidate the old one. Make sure to update all your applications before regenerating.

Getting Started

Core Concepts

AI Agents (MCP)

API Reference

API Playground

API Key Authentication

Getting Your API Key

Security Best Practices

Do's

Don'ts

Environment Variables

Authentication Errors

Key Rotation

​API Key Authentication

​Getting Your API Key

​Security Best Practices

Do's

Don'ts

​Environment Variables

​Authentication Errors

​Key Rotation

API Key Authentication

Getting Your API Key

Security Best Practices

Environment Variables

Authentication Errors

Key Rotation