Intro to API Authentication

Location: Velma Denning Room (120F), Green LibraryDate and Time: 2PM–3PM, Wednesday, April 23, 2025Instructor: Katie Frey, Data Curator for Programmatic Access
This workshop is an introduction to methods of API authentication, with a focus on different approaches for securely storing API credentials and how to avoid publishing them online by accident. We will cover common types of authentication systems that someone may encounter when using APIs for research purposes, such as API keys, Bearer tokens, and Basic Authentication. Basic boilerplate scripts will be provided in Python and R that can be used to authenticate with these kinds of APIs. The workshop will also discuss general pointers on how to obtain API keys and tokens. Attendees to this workshop should have familiarity with Python or R. There may be portions of the workshop that you will want to follow along with on your own computer if you have Python or R installed, but this is not required.
Please register to attend. Registration is exclusively open to current Stanford Affiliates and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Given the limited space, a waitlist will be available once all spots are filled. (Note: To access the registration form, please ensure you are logged into Google on your current browser with your Stanford email, such as YourSUNetID@stanford.edu.)