# API Overview

## Get your API keys

All API requests must be authenticated using API keys. Any request without a valid API key will be rejected.

To obtain your merchant API keys:

1. Sign up at [app.thedex.cloud](https://app.thedex.cloud).
2. After logging in, navigate to the **"Merchants"** section.
3. Click the **"Add"** button and complete the form.
4. Upon submission, you will receive an **API key** and a **secret key**.

These keys are required for all authenticated API requests.

## Required API Headers

Each authenticated request must include the following headers:

* `X-EX-APIKEY`: Your API key
* `X-EX-PAYLOAD`: Base64-encoded JSON request body
* `X-EX-SIGNATURE`: HMAC SHA-512 signature generated using your secret key

## How to Generate the Signature

1. Construct your JSON request body with the required parameters for the endpoint you’re calling.
2. Encode the JSON body to a Base64 string — this becomes your `X-EX-PAYLOAD`.
3. Generate an HMAC SHA-512 signature of the Base64-encoded body using your **secret key** — this becomes your `X-EX-SIGNATURE`.

> For implementation examples and detailed technical guides on sending API requests, creating signatures, and using our project in different programming languages, please refer to the link below.\
> \
> **API Examples Repository** on Bitbucket:

{% embed url="<https://bitbucket.org/theonedex/api-quickstart/src/master/>" %}