# Authentication API

All requests must be authenticated using an HTTP Header **`x-kafka-lenses-token:myToken`**. You can obtain the token via the following login API or you can use a service account.

All REST APIs are protected via **role-based** authentication that is either BASIC or LDAP based, depending on how Lenses security has been set up. In order to be able to use the APIs, you will need to first authenticate via an appropriate user, then receive an access token and use that token for any subsequent request.

<mark style="color:green;">`POST`</mark>`/api/login`

**Headers**

| Name         | Value              |
| ------------ | ------------------ |
| Content-Type | `application/json` |

**Body**

| Name       | Type   | Description          |
| ---------- | ------ | -------------------- |
| `user`     | string | Name of the user     |
| `password` | string | Password of the user |

**Response**

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="200" %}

```json
"a1f44cb8-0f37-4b96-828c-57bbd8d4934b"
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="401" %}

```json
UNAUTHORIZED
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

To run the example below, we recommend installing the [jq tool](https://stedolan.github.io/jq/download/)

### **Example Request**

{% code fullWidth="false" %}

```bash
 # login and receive the access token
HOST="http://localhost:3030"
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type:application/json" \
-d '{"user":"admin",  "password":"admin"}' \
${HOST}/api/login -s --compressed -w '\n'
```

{% endcode %}

### **Example Response**

```
"a1f44cb8-0f37-4b96-828c-57bbd8d4934b"
```


---

# 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://docs.lenses.io/latest/devx/5.5/resources/api-reference/authentication-api.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.