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PDFlys

Authentication

Overview

All authenticated requests must include credentials in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>

API Keys

Generate an API key from your Settings page:

  1. Go to Settings → API Keys
  2. Click Create Key
  3. Copy the key — it starts with pdf_live_ and is only shown once
curl -X POST https://api.pdflys.com/api/v1/compress \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pdf_live_abc123..." \
  -F "file=@document.pdf"

Warning

Keep your API key secret. Never expose it in client-side code, public repositories, or browser requests. Use environment variables in your server or CI/CD pipeline.

Key Management

Manage keys programmatically via the Account API:

Action Endpoint
List active keys GET /api/v1/account/keys
Create a key POST /api/v1/account/keys
Revoke a key DELETE /api/v1/account/keys/:keyId

OAuth Access Tokens

If you're building a third-party integration that accesses PDFlys on behalf of users, you'll use OAuth 2.1 access tokens. These work the same way:

curl -X POST https://api.pdflys.com/api/v1/merge \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIs..." \
  -F "files=@doc1.pdf" \
  -F "files=@doc2.pdf"

See the OAuth 2.1 reference for the full authorization flow.

Anonymous Access

The accessibility check endpoint (POST /api/v2/accessibility/check) can be used without authentication for quick one-off checks. Anonymous requests:

  • Are subject to stricter rate limits
  • Do not persist reports
  • Do not support async processing for large files

Sign up for an API key to unlock the full feature set.

Error Responses

Status Meaning Action
401 Unauthorized Token missing, expired, or invalid Check your API key or generate a new one
403 Forbidden Valid credentials but insufficient permissions Check your plan or required permissions
429 Too Many Requests Rate limit exceeded Wait and retry with backoff — see Rate Limits

Usage Headers

Every API response includes usage information in the response headers:

X-Usage-Current: 47
X-Usage-Limit: 100
X-RateLimit-Limit: 60
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 45
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1709125200

Monitor these to track your consumption and avoid hitting limits. See Rate Limits for details.