Learn what steps to take if you run into problems with authenticating your API credentials.
Overview
There are a lot of great features in Dotdigital which you can access through our API, so if you’re having issues with authenticating your API credentials you’ll want to know what to do to get things back up and running as soon as possible. This article will point you in the right direction.
Troubleshooting authentication problems
The possible reasons for an authentication failure of an API user are:
- The credentials being used are incorrect
- The API user is locked
- The API user is disabled
Incorrect credentials
Always be sure to double-check that you're using the correct username and password details when authenticating, especially if you are using the same API user for more than one purpose. If you have recently changed your API password, it may not have been updated in all locations. One or more of your systems may still be trying to connect using an old password.
If you need to change the password for an API user:
- Go to Settings > Access > API users.
You’ll need to be an account owner or user with the Can manage account permission to view this area. You can find out more about amending user permissions in the Restrict and grant user access permissions article.
- Select the Edit icon to the right of the API user.
- Enter the new password in the Password and Confirm password fields, ensuring they match exactly.
- Select SAVE.
- Update any system using this API user with the new password you have set.
Locked API user
Your API user will become locked in either of the following circumstances:
- You enter an invalid password for an API user five times
- Your account is disabled.
Re-enabling the account will not automatically unlock an API user.
You can find out how to unlock an API user in the Unlock a user article.
Disabled API user
A disabled API user will not be able to make a successful connection to Dotdigital.
To re-enable an API user:
- Go to Settings > Access > API users.
- Select the Edit icon to the right of the API user.
- Set the status of the user to Enabled using the radio button.
- Select SAVE.
If, after double-checking, the authentication problem persists despite the fact that you think you're using the correct credentials and the API user is enabled, we'd recommend deleting the API user and creating a new one.