> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.gridstatus.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.gridstatus.io/developers/getting-started/readme.md).

# API Authentication

To use the API, you will need to obtain an API key. API keys are used to identify and authenticate your requests to the API. If you don't have an API key, you can make one by clicking button below

<a href="https://www.gridstatus.io/settings/api" class="button primary">Get API Key</a>

Once you have your API key, you can authenticate in one of two ways:

**Option 1: Add it to the header**

```
curl -H "Accept-Encoding: br, gzip" -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" https://api.gridstatus.io/v1/datasets
```

**Option 2: Use the `api_key` query parameter**

```bash
curl -H "Accept-Encoding: br, gzip" "https://api.gridstatus.io/v1/datasets?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"
```

Make sure to replace `'YOUR_API_KEY'` with your actual API key.

For instructions on authenticating via the Python client, please[ refer to this page](/developers/getting-started/python-client.md).


---

# Agent Instructions
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## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://docs.gridstatus.io/developers/getting-started/readme.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

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