: API Authentication and Security
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API Authentication and Security

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API Authentication and Security

To use the API (XML or REST), you must enable API access for your administrators and get your API key. By default, the firewall and Panorama support API requests over HTTPS. To make API request over HTTP, you must configure an interface management profile.
To authenticate your API request to the firewall or Panorama, provide the API key in any of the following ways:
  • Use the custom HTTP header,
    X-PAN-KEY: <key>
    to include the API key in the HTTP header.
  • For the XML API, include the API key as a query parameter in the HTTP request URL.
  • Use Basic Authentication to pass the admin credentials as
    username:password
    with Base64 encoding in an Authorization header field.
    Authorization: Basic amJPbLxpbw9UaTpXb3JrKjIwMDA=
As a best practice:
  • Set an API key lifetime to enforce key rotation; you can also revoke all API keys to protect from accidental exposure.
  • Use a POST request for any call that may contain sensitive information.
You cannot use basic authentication when you Get Your API Key.

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