> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.pyck.cloud/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.pyck.cloud/graphql-api/authentication.md).

# Authentication

GraphQL API Authentication

## Overview

All GraphQL API requests to pyck must be authenticated. This document explains how to authenticate your API requests.

## Authentication Methods

The pyck GraphQL API supports two primary authentication methods:

### 1. JWT Token Authentication

JWT (JSON Web Token) authentication is the most common method and involves including a valid JWT token in the Authorization header of your requests.

```
Authorization: Bearer <your_jwt_token>
```

JWT tokens are typically obtained through the ZITADEL authentication flow. Once you have a token, include it in all your API requests.

### 2. Personal Access Token (PAT)

For system integrations and automation, you can use a Personal Access Token:

```
Authorization: Bearer <your_personal_access_token>
```

PATs are long-lived tokens that can be created through the pyck administration interface.

## Example Authentication Flow

### 1. Obtain a JWT Token

Authenticate with ZITADEL to obtain a JWT token. This typically involves redirecting the user to the ZITADEL login page and handling the callback with the token.

### 2. Make Authenticated Requests

Once you have a token, include it in your GraphQL requests:

```javascript
// Example with fetch API
const response = await fetch('https://api.pyck.ai/graphql', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    query: `
      query {
        me {
          id
          name
          email
        }
      }
    `
  })
});
```

### 3. Handle Token Expiration

JWT tokens expire after a certain period. When a token expires, you'll receive a 401 Unauthorized response. You should:

1. Detect the 401 response
2. Request a new token using the refresh token flow
3. Retry the original request with the new token

## Testing Authentication

You can test your authentication by querying the `me` endpoint, which returns information about the authenticated user:

```graphql
query {
  me {
    id
    name
    email
  }
}
```

If authentication is successful, you'll receive information about your user. If not, you'll receive an error message.


---

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