Authentication

PlayVideo uses API keys for authentication. Simple, secure, no OAuth complexity.

Getting Your API Key

1. Log in to your PlayVideo dashboard
2. Go to API Keys
3. Click “Create API Key”
4. Copy the key - it’s only shown once!

API Key Format

play_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
play_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

• play_live_ - Production keys, use in production
• play_test_ - Test keys, use in development (coming soon)

Using Your API Key

HTTP Header (Recommended)

curl https://api.playvideo.dev/v1/videos \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer play_live_xxx"

SDK Initialization

import PlayVideo from '@playvideo/playvideo-sdk';

// Simple
const bb = new PlayVideo('play_live_xxx');

// From environment variable (recommended)
const bb = new PlayVideo(process.env.BLOCKBUSTER_API_KEY);

Security Best Practices

Never expose API keys in client-side code

// BAD - API key exposed to browsers
const bb = new PlayVideo('play_live_xxx'); // In React component

// GOOD - API key only on server
// pages/api/upload.ts (Next.js API route)
export default async function handler(req, res) {
  const bb = new PlayVideo(process.env.BLOCKBUSTER_API_KEY);
  // ... handle upload server-side
}

Use environment variables

# .env.local
BLOCKBUSTER_API_KEY=play_live_xxx

// Your code
const bb = new PlayVideo(process.env.BLOCKBUSTER_API_KEY);

Rotate keys periodically

Create a new key, update your applications, then delete the old key.

Use separate keys per environment

• play_live_xxx_prod - Production
• play_live_xxx_staging - Staging
• play_live_xxx_dev - Development

Key Permissions

All API keys have full access to your account. Scoped permissions coming soon.

Rate Limits

Rate limit headers are included in responses:

X-RateLimit-Limit: 300
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 299
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1704067200

Error Responses

Invalid API Key

{
  "error": "Invalid API key",
  "message": "The provided API key is invalid or has been revoked"
}

Missing API Key

{
  "error": "Missing API key", 
  "message": "Provide API key in Authorization header: Bearer play_live_xxx"
}

Rate Limited

{
  "error": "Rate limit exceeded",
  "message": "Too many requests. Please retry after 60 seconds"
}

Self-Hosted Authentication

When self-hosting PlayVideo, you manage your own API keys through the admin interface or database directly.

const bb = new PlayVideo({
  apiKey: 'your-self-hosted-key',
  baseUrl: 'https://video.yourdomain.com'
});