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

# ApiClient authentication and authorization signatures

> Authenticate CoinVoyage ApiClient calls and generate HMAC-SHA256 signatures for privileged v3 API operations.

`ApiClient` sends your API key with every request. Privileged organization operations additionally require an HMAC-SHA256 signature generated from your API secret.

<Warning>
  Generate authorization signatures only on your server. A leaked API secret can create sales, refunds, invoices, off-ramp intents, webhooks, and fee claims for your organization.
</Warning>

## Public API-key operations

API-key operations include creating `DEPOSIT` orders, retrieving individual orders, generating quotes and payment instructions, searching currencies, scanning wallets, and using standalone swaps or eligible on-ramp flows.

## Signed operations

Signed server-side operations include `SALE` orders, refunds, organization-wide listing, off-ramp management, invoices, fees, webhooks, and organization-wide WebSocket subscriptions.

## Generate a signature

`generateAuthorizationSignature()` creates the HMAC-SHA256 `Authorization` header value used by signed v3 requests. Pass the v3 path without the `/v3` prefix.

```typescript theme={null}
const authorization = apiClient.generateAuthorizationSignature(
  process.env.COIN_VOYAGE_API_SECRET!,
  "POST",
  "/orders"
);
```

The result is formatted as:

```text theme={null}
APIKey=<apiKey>,signature=<signature>,timestamp=<timestamp>
```

Sign the exact method and path used by the request. Examples include `/orders`, `/orders/{order_id}/refund`, `/invoices`, `/invoices/{invoice_id}/archive`, and `/ws`.

<Info>
  `ApiClient` methods that accept `apiSecret` generate and attach the appropriate signature automatically. Call `generateAuthorizationSignature()` directly only when building a raw request or an organization-wide WebSocket connection.
</Info>