Authentication & API Keys

To use ObservEarth's APIs, you need an API key. Here's how to get one:

1. Create an account: If you don't already have an account, sign up for ObservEarth.
2. Choose a plan: Select a plan that meets your needs on our pricing page.
3. Access your dashboard: After signing up or logging in, go to your dashboard.
4. View API key: Your API key will be displayed in the API section of your dashboard.

To authenticate your API requests, include your API key in the X-API-Key header of each request.

Example in Python

import requests

api_key = "your_api_key_here"
url = "https://observearth.com/api/geometry/"

headers = {
    "X-API-Key": api_key,
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
data = response.json()
print(data)

Example in JavaScript

const apiKey = "your_api_key_here";
const url = "https://observearth.com/api/geometry/";

fetch(url, {
    method: "GET",
    headers: {
        "X-API-Key": apiKey,
        "Content-Type": "application/json"
    }
})
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => console.log(data))
.catch(error => console.error("Error:", error));

Example with cURL

curl -X GET "https://observearth.com/api/geometry/" \
     -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Protecting your API key is crucial. Here are some best practices:

• Environment variables: Store your API key in environment variables, not in your code.

  # Python example using environment variables
  import os
  import requests
  
  api_key = os.environ.get("OBSERVEARTH_API_KEY")
  url = "https://observearth.com/api/geometry/"
  
  headers = {
      "X-API-Key": api_key,
      "Content-Type": "application/json"
  }
  
  response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

• Backend proxy: For web applications, make API calls from your backend server, not directly from the client.
• Restrict usage: Limit API key usage to specific IP addresses or domains when possible.
• Regular rotation: Periodically rotate your API keys, especially if you suspect they may have been compromised.

When authentication fails, you'll receive one of these HTTP status codes:

Example: Handling Authentication Errors

import requests

api_key = "your_api_key_here"
url = "https://observearth.com/api/geometry/"

headers = {
    "X-API-Key": api_key,
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

if response.status_code == 401:
    print("Error: Missing API key")
elif response.status_code == 403:
    print("Error: Invalid API key")
elif response.status_code == 429:
    retry_after = response.headers.get("Retry-After", "60")
    print(f"Rate limit exceeded. Try again in {retry_after} seconds")
elif response.status_code == 200:
    data = response.json()
    print(data)
else:
    print(f"Error: {response.status_code}")
    print(response.text)

Now that you understand authentication, you can:

• Learn how to work with Areas of Interest
• Access Sentinel-2 imagery
• Retrieve weather data