---
title: "ViewPayout API Authentication and Keys"
url: "https://viewpayout.com/docs/authentication.md"
canonical_url: "https://viewpayout.com/docs/authentication"
last_updated: "2026-10-22"
type: "reference"
summary: "API keys, signed-in routes and the Stripe signature, and what each route accepts."
related: ["https://viewpayout.com/docs/api.md", "https://viewpayout.com/docs/errors.md"]
---

# ViewPayout API Authentication and Keys

API keys, signed-in routes and the Stripe signature, and what each route accepts.

## API access

API access is opened with your account. Email hello@viewpayout.com and we set up your account and send the key. A key belongs to an account, not to a workspace.

Once you have a key, send it as a bearer token. A missing, malformed or revoked key answers `401 unauthorized`. Keys are rate limited, and a limited request answers `429 rate_limited` with a `Retry-After` header.

## Signed-in routes

The billing routes under `/v1/me/billing` are for the signed-in dashboard. They accept a Firebase ID token of the signed-in user, not an API key.

## Stripe webhook

The route `/v1/billing/webhook` is for Stripe only and checks Stripe's signature over the raw request body. A request without a valid signature answers `400 signature_invalid`. A verified paid top-up adds its pack to the brand balance, and nothing else grants money.

## Operator actions

Funding a balance by hand, approving cashouts and payouts and resolving the review queue are done by our team, not through the public API. Email hello@viewpayout.com for any of them.

## Scheduled jobs

Views are read every hour, and every post whose hold has ended is settled every day. Both runs are safe to repeat.

## Related

- [ViewPayout REST API Reference: Every Route](https://viewpayout.com/docs/api.md)
- [ViewPayout API Error Codes and Fixes](https://viewpayout.com/docs/errors.md)