> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.adaptive-ml.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# API Authentication

> Authenticate your requests to Adaptive

The Adaptive Engine API uses API keys for authentication. You can find your personal API key on the **bottom left** of the Adaptive UI by clicking your user profile icon.

<Frame caption={<span>You can copy your API key from the bottom left of the Adaptive UI.</span>} style={{ width: '350px', margin: '0 auto' }}>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/adaptiveml/nxrXfjE5HXjTB4Su/static/api_key.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nxrXfjE5HXjTB4Su&q=85&s=8c1a523e239458a6d8d0b3be508d6e44" width="560" height="294" data-path="static/api_key.png" />
</Frame>

All API requests should include your API key in an `Authorization` HTTP Header as such:

```
Authorization: Bearer ADAPTIVE_API_KEY
```

The Adaptive Python SDK allows you configure your API key on instantiation of the `Adaptive` client, as such:

```Python Adaptive SDK theme={null}
from adaptive_sdk import Adaptive

adaptive = Adaptive(base_url="ADAPTIVE_URL", api_key="ADAPTIVE_API_KEY")
```

You can also set an environment variable `$ADAPTIVE_API_KEY` instead of explicitly passing it to the `Adaptive` client.

If you are using the OpenAI Python library to [make inference requests](/v0.5/guides/inference), you can configure the OpenAI Client as such:

```Python OpenAI Python theme={null}
from openai import Client

oai_client = Client(
   base_url="ADAPTIVE_URL/api/v1",
   api_key="ADAPTIVE_API_KEY",
)
```