Overview
All SpringAPI requests require a valid API access token.
Authentication is performed by including your token in the X-Spring-API-Key request header.
Required Header
Header | Type | Required | Description |
X-Spring-API-Key | string | Yes | Your SpringAPI access token |
Header Format
Include the header in every request:
X-Spring-API-Key: YOUR_API_TOKEN
Example:
GET https://api.awardspring.com/api/award-cycles X-Spring-API-Key: YOUR_API_TOKEN
Authentication Behavior
Requests without the X-Spring-API-Key header will return 401 Unauthorized
Requests with an invalid or revoked token will return 401 Unauthorized
Results returned by an endpoint are limited to data accessible by the token
Token Management
Tokens are generated and managed from the API Management screen in the AwardSpring administrator interface (See "Settings" / "SpringAPIs")
Up to 10 active tokens may exist at one time
Tokens may be revoked or regenerated at any time
Security Best Practices
Treat API tokens as confidential credentials
Do not expose tokens in client-side code
Store tokens securely in environment variables or a secrets manager
Rotate tokens periodically according to your institution’s security policy