Authentication

Learn how to authenticate with the Draftory API using API keys.

API Key Format

Every Draftory API key uses a prefix that tells you which environment it belongs to:

Production keys start with dft_live_ — creates real, legally-binding contracts.
Sandbox keys start with dft_test_ — for testing and development. Sandbox contracts auto-expire after 1 hour.

# Production key
dft_live_sk_abc123def456...

# Sandbox key
dft_test_sk_abc123def456...

Sending Your Key

Include your API key in every request using the x-api-key header:

curl -X GET https://api.draftory.ca/api/external/v2/status \
  -H "x-api-key: dft_live_your_key"

const response = await fetch('https://api.draftory.ca/api/external/v2/status', {
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'dft_live_your_key'
  }
});

const data = await response.json();

import requests

response = requests.get(
    'https://api.draftory.ca/api/external/v2/status',
    headers={
        'x-api-key': 'dft_live_your_key'
    }
)

data = response.json()

Getting Your API Key

Sign in to your Draftory account at draftory.ca
Navigate to Settings → API Access
Click Create Key and select your scopes
Copy your key immediately — the full key is only shown once

Warning

Your API key is shown only once. Store it securely. If you lose it, you will need to create a new key.

Scopes

Each API key is granted one or more scopes that control what it can access.

Scope	Permissions
`contracts:read`	Get contract details and signing progress
`contracts:write`	Create new multi-party contracts

Default keys receive both scopes.

Environments

Environment	Key Prefix	Behaviour
Production	`dft_live_`	Creates real, legally-binding contracts. Uses your subscription quota.
Sandbox	`dft_test_`	For development and testing. Sandbox contracts auto-expire after 1 hour. Sandbox has separate rate limits.

Security Best Practices

Best Practices

Never commit API keys to version control
Use environment variables to store keys
Rotate keys regularly
Use sandbox keys during development
Restrict key scopes to minimum needed

API Pricing

API access requires an approved application and a paid subscription. Three tiers are available:

Tier	Price	Monthly Quota
Startup	$29 CAD/mo	5,000 calls
Growth	$99 CAD/mo	25,000 calls
Enterprise	$499 CAD/mo	250,000 calls

See Rate Limits & Quotas for full details on tier features and billing.