# Get started

All requests to the Younium API must be authenticated using a **JWT access token**. This guide explains how to generate the required credentials, acquire a JWT token, and use it to make authenticated API calls.

## Step 1: Generate an API Token and Client Credentials

<br>

1. Open the **User Profile Menu** in the top-right corner (click your user name).
2. Go to **Privacy & Security**.\ <br>

   <div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/FW4GWN9YaI3t233k9yJo" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

   \ <br>
3. Select **Personal Tokens** in the left-hand panel.
4. Click **Generate Token**.\
   \ <br>

   <div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/fiKbi78Rl3A2nHk8EoRw" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

   <br>
5. Enter a descriptive name for the token and click **Create**.
6. The **Client ID** and **Secret Key** will now be displayed.
   * ⚠️ **Important**: Copy these values immediately. They will not be visible again.
   * You will use them to generate the JWT token.\ <br>

<div align="left"><img src="https://younium.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F940708998-files.gitbook.io%2F%7E%2Ffiles%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-x-prod.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fspaces%252FMV73ftGLs1NaypiZYzZB%252Fuploads%252FfXHKaqA8o7bEJ3l5Uk5u%252FCredentials%2520%281%29.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Dc0361a08-2e62-4130-926a-81c2cbeabc61&#x26;width=768&#x26;dpr=4&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=a51723c7&#x26;sv=1" alt=""></div>

## Step 2: Generate a JWT Token <a href="#generating-a-jwt-token" id="generating-a-jwt-token"></a>

Make a `POST` request to the `/auth/v2/token` endpoint with your client credentials.\
This guide uses the latest auth endpoint version (v2). Guide to v1 can be found [here](/get-started-1.md).

#### Endpoints

* Production: `https://api.younium.com/auth/v2/token`
* Sandbox: `https://api.sandbox.younium.com/auth/v2/token`
* US Production: `https://api.us.younium.com/auth/v2/token`
* US Sandbox: `https://api.sandbox.us.younium.com/auth/v2/token`

#### Request Header

```http
Content-Type: application/json
```

#### Request Body

```json
{ 
  "clientId": "<Client ID>", 
  "secret": "<Secret Key>" 
}
```

#### Successful Response

```json
{
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5cC...",
  "refresh_token": "4baf4774-5ef9-4983-a8d8-f4fdae7f7000",
  "expires_in": 86400,
  "expires": "Thu, 27 Sep 2025 11:12:01 GMT" 
}
```

* The **access token** is valid for **24 hours**.
* Once expired, you must request a new token.

#### Error Response

In case of authentication failure , you may receive an error response:

```json
{
    errors: ["<Error message>"]
}
```

* `400` or `401`: Invalid credentials or other authentication issues.

## Step 3: Making Authenticated API Calls

Include the access token in the request headers:

```http
Authorization: Bearer <JWT Token>
Content-Type: application/json
api-version: <version>   // optional but recommended
legal-entity: <Entity ID or Name>
```

#### Notes

* **`legal-entity`**:
  * Required if your tenant has multiple legal entities.
  * If invalid, the request returns `403 Forbidden`.
* **`api-version`**:
  * Default is **2.1**.
  * Explicitly setting the version is recommended.

***

### Common Authentication Errors

* **401 Unauthorized**
  * Token missing, expired, or invalid.
* **403 Forbidden**
  * The request is authenticated, but access is blocked. Possible reasons:
    * Invalid or missing `legal-entity` header.
    * Insufficient user permissions.
    * Restricted access to integrations or services.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://developer.younium.com/get-started.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.