Turning on and off API access

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">Use the API configuration page to turn on password and API token access to the Zendesk API. For OAuth access, seeUsing OAuth authentication with your application. For more information about the Zendesk API, see theZendesk Developer Documentation.</p>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-toggle">Summary: <span id="up-triangle">◀</span><span id="down-triangle">▼</span></p>
<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">You can activate API access by accepting terms and enabling API token or password access. API tokens protect agent passwords and require enabling before use. End users can have password access turned on or off for authenticated or anonymous API requests. Turning off token or password access disables those authentication methods, requiring reactivation to use them again. OAuth access is managed separately.</p>
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<div class="note fastpath">
<span class="fastpathtitle">Location: </span> <span class="ph">Admin Center &gt; Apps and integrations &gt; APIs &gt; API
configuration</span>
</div>
<div class="p" dir="ltr">Users can access the Zendesk API using these authentication methods: <ul class="ul" id="topic_b43_pc2_vj__ul_anr_dw4_g2c">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">They can use an auto-generated password called an API token. </li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">They can use an OAuth access token, which is different from an
API token.</li>
<li class="li">End users can use API password access to make authenticated or anonymous
API requests.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Use the API configuration page to turn on password and API token access to
the Zendesk API. For OAuth access, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408845965210" target="_blank">Using OAuth authentication with your
application</a>. For more information about the Zendesk API, see the
<a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/documentation/" target="_blank">Zendesk Developer Documentation</a>. </p>
<p class="p">This article includes these sections:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_b43_pc2_vj__ul_oy4_fhp_hvb">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_eyp_xnb_2dc">Activating API access</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_uyh_zmv_g2c">Turning on and off API token access</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_fwg_dnt_fhc">Turning on and off API password access for end users</a></li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Related articles:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_b43_pc2_vj__ul_imh_hhp_hvb">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408889192858" target="_blank">Managing access to the Zendesk
API</a></li>
<li class="li">Developer documentation: <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/api-reference/introduction/security-and-auth/" target="_blank">Security and authentication</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_eyp_xnb_2dc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Activating API access</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">If you’re accessing the Zendesk API for the first time, you need to accept the
<a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/company/agreements-and-terms/main-services-agreement/" target="_blank">Zendesk Terms of Service</a> and the
<a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/company/agreements-and-terms/application-developer-api-license-agreement/" target="_blank">Application Developer and API
Agreement</a>.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To activate API access</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_eyp_xnb_2dc__ol_p1n_d4b_2dc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_eyp_xnb_2dc__d9e2211" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_apps_integrations_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Apps and integrations</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">APIs &gt; API
configuration</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click the checkbox to accept the terms and agreements.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Get started</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_eyp_xnb_2dc__image_c4g_s4b_2dc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_api_token_permission.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_uyh_zmv_g2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Turning on and off API token access</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You use API tokens to keep your agent’s passwords safe. When authenticating
with tokens, add <strong class="ph b"><em class="ph i">/token </em></strong>to the end of your email address. API
token access is disabled by default. You must enable API token access before
users can use API tokens.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To turn on token access to the API</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_uyh_zmv_g2c__ol_rmt_3pv_g2c">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_uyh_zmv_g2c__d9e2211" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_apps_integrations_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Apps and integrations</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">APIs &gt; API
configuration</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Select <strong class="ph b">Allow API token access</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">After you turn on API token access, you can generate API access
tokens. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408889192858#topic_bsw_lfg_mmb" target="_blank">Generating API tokens</a>. </p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To turn off token access to the API</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_uyh_zmv_g2c__ol_x1g_mpv_g2c">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_uyh_zmv_g2c__d9e2211" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_apps_integrations_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Apps and integrations</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">APIs &gt; API
configuration</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Deselect <strong class="ph b">Allow API token access</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
<p class="p">When you turn off token access, your tokens stop working. You’ll need to turn
token access back on to reactivate them.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_fwg_dnt_fhc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Turning on and off API password access for end users</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="note" id="topic_fwg_dnt_fhc__note_hmw_q4t_fhc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Some older accounts may include a setting for
activating API password access for team members (in addition to API token
access). API password access for team members has
been deprecated and is not supported in new accounts.</div>
<p class="p">By default, API password access for end users is turned off. Therefore,
end-user access is considered anonymous.</p>
<p class="p"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408826974874" target="_blank">Turning on two-factor
authentication</a>, whether required or optionally enrolled by end
users, does not affect the ability to make API requests using email and
password.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To turn on API password access for end users</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_fwg_dnt_fhc__ol_zyr_3nt_fhc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_fwg_dnt_fhc__d9e2211" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_apps_integrations_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Apps and integrations</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">APIs &gt; API
configuration</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Select <strong class="ph b">Allow password access for end users</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
<p class="p">After turning on API password access, end users can make authenticated or
anonymous API requests.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To turn off API password access for end users</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_fwg_dnt_fhc__ol_jqh_qvn_ghc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_fwg_dnt_fhc__d9e2211" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_apps_integrations_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Apps and integrations</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">APIs &gt; API
configuration</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Deselect <strong class="ph b">Allow password access for end users</strong>. </li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
<p class="p">After turning off API password access, end-user access is considered
anonymous.</p>
</div>
</div>
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