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P4 Search Documentation | 2025.6

# API authentication

Some P4 Search API endpoints must have an authenticated connection. Authenticated connections are achieved using Token authentication or Bearer authentication.

## Token authentication

Token authentication is an HTTP authentication system that uses an X-Auth-Token to authenticate the connection to P4 Search. The X-Auth-Token is generated by the server in response to a log in request. The generated X-Auth-Token is automatically added to the P4 Search config.properties file under the com.perforce.p4search.service.token configurable. See Index auth-token.

For example:

curl -H 'X-Auth-Token: <X-AUTH-TOKEN>' http://localhost:1601/api/v1.2/index/change/917503

## Bearer authentication

Bearer authentication is an HTTP authentication system that uses a bearer token to authenticate the connection to P4 Search. The bearer token is generated by the server in response to a log in request. The bearer token is sent in the authorization header when you make an API request.

For example:

Obtain the bearer token by logging in to your P4 Search instance:

    curl --location --request POST 'http://localhost:1601/api/v1/login' --header 'Content-Type: application/json'
    --data-raw '{
      "user": "<p4user>",
      "passwd": "<p4password>",
      "ip": "<ipaddress>"
    }'

Where <ipaddress> is the machine where the ticket is generated.

P4 Search responds with the bearer token:

    {
      "status": {
        "code": 200,
        "message": "OK"
      },
      "data": "<auth_token>"
    }

To make an API request using the bearer token:

curl -X GET --location "http://localhost:1601/api/v1.2/install/extensions" -H "Authorization: Bearer <auth_token>" -H "Accept: application/json"

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