API Authentication Lab

Estimated Time: 60 minutes.

Objective

API authentication is a crucial step in the process of accessing and utilizing APIs. It ensures that only authorized users are able to access the API and perform certain actions. There are several methods for authenticating API requests, including basic authentication, OAuth and API keys In this lab, we will explore these different methods and how they apply to the Apstra API.

The Lab Journey

In this lab we are going to look at a few API authentication basics that will set the foundations for future labs. We will cover:

- What API Authentication is

- Authentication types

- Apstra Specific Authentication

If you are comfortable with API authentication methods you may wish to skip to the next lab which can be found here.

What is API Authentication

API authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a client trying to access the resources of an API. This is important because it allows the API to determine what actions the client is allowed to take. In this lab, we will explore some common methods of API authentication, including their benefits and drawbacks.

The Apstra Web UI is a client of the API.

Apstra treats the API as a first-class citizen, meaning that all actions available through the UI are also available through the API.