> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tronrental.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authentication

> How to authenticate with the TronRental API

## API Key Authentication

All API requests require an API key passed in the `X-API-Key` header.

```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.tronrental.com/v1/account/balance \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key"
```

### Getting an API key

1. Sign up at [tronrental.com](https://tronrental.com/auth/register)
2. Go to [Dashboard → API Keys](https://tronrental.com/dashboard/api)
3. Click **Create API Key**
4. Copy and securely store your key — it's shown only once

### IP Whitelist (optional)

You can restrict your API key to specific IP addresses for additional security. Configure this in the dashboard when creating or editing a key.

### Key permissions

Each API key has full access to your account's API operations:

* Buy energy and bandwidth
* Manage Smart Mode subscriptions
* Create invoices
* Check balance and transaction history

<Warning>
  Keep your API key secret. Do not expose it in client-side code, public repositories, or URLs.
</Warning>

## Rate Limits

API keys are rate-limited per endpoint. See [Rate Limits](/resources/rate-limits) for details.

## Errors

Authentication errors return HTTP `401`:

```json theme={null}
{
  "detail": "Invalid or missing API key"
}
```

If your key is disabled or blocked, you'll receive HTTP `403`.