Authentication

Today the API authenticates with an opaque session bearer token. You obtain one by logging in with your operator credentials, then send it as an Authorization: Bearer <token> header on every request. This is the canonical auth flow - other pages refer back here.

Planned API tokens

A first-class sk_ API-token programme is planned but not yet available. Until it ships, use session bearer auth as described below. See API tokens for the roadmap.

Obtain a token

Log in with POST /api/auth/login to mint a session and receive a token.

Method	Path	Purpose	Auth
POST	/api/auth/login	Log in, mint a session token	public
GET	/api/auth/me	Return the authenticated user	session
POST	/api/auth/logout	Invalidate the current session	session

The body takes email and password. A successful login returns { user, token } - store token and send it on subsequent requests.

cURL

curl -X POST "https://thesidedoor.co/api/auth/login" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"operator@example.com","password":"your-password"}'

JavaScript

const res = await fetch("https://thesidedoor.co/api/auth/login", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    email: "operator@example.com",
    password: "your-password",
  }),
});
const { user, token } = await res.json();

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://thesidedoor.co/api/auth/login");
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
  CURLOPT_POST => true,
  CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
  CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => ["Content-Type: application/json"],
  CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode([
    "email" => "operator@example.com",
    "password" => "your-password",
  ]),
]);
$data = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true);
$token = $data["token"];

{
  "user": { "id": "usr_123", "role": "client", "name": "Jo Operator" },
  "token": "sdt_9f2a7c…redacted"
}

The token is an opaque credential - treat it as a secret string; its internal structure is not part of the contract and may change.

Two-factor accounts

If the account has two-factor authentication enabled, the login is completed with a second step: an authenticator code challenge. Once the challenge is satisfied you receive the same { user, token } result. Handle it interactively (a person enters their code); it isn’t suited to unattended server-to-server use.

Make an authenticated request

Send the token as a bearer header. Store it in the SIDEDOOR_TOKEN environment variable and reuse it across calls. GET /api/auth/me is a good check that a token is valid.

cURL

curl "https://thesidedoor.co/api/auth/me" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SIDEDOOR_TOKEN"

JavaScript

const res = await fetch("https://thesidedoor.co/api/auth/me", {
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SIDEDOOR_TOKEN}`,
  },
});
const { user } = await res.json();

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://thesidedoor.co/api/auth/me");
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
  CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
  CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
    "Authorization: Bearer {$token}",
  ],
]);
$data = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true);

{ "user": { "id": "usr_123", "role": "client", "name": "Jo Operator" } }

Token lifetime

Sessions are stored server-side and slide on use - each authenticated request extends the expiry. An operator/staff session lasts 3 days on a sliding window (any authenticated request extends it).

A missing or expired token on any /api/* route returns 401:

{ "error": "Session expired. Please sign in again." }

Re-run the login flow to mint a fresh token.

Log out

POST /api/auth/logout invalidates the current session server-side. Discard the token afterwards.

cURL

curl -X POST "https://thesidedoor.co/api/auth/logout" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SIDEDOOR_TOKEN"

JavaScript

await fetch("https://thesidedoor.co/api/auth/logout", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SIDEDOOR_TOKEN}`,
  },
});

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://thesidedoor.co/api/auth/logout");
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
  CURLOPT_POST => true,
  CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
  CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
    "Authorization: Bearer {$token}",
  ],
]);
curl_exec($ch);

{ "success": true }