Authentication

Every request to POST /v1/search is authenticated with an API key sent in the x-api-key header.

curl -X POST https://api.serp.cheap/v1/search \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "q": "coffee makers" }'

Getting a key

Create and manage keys in the dashboard. You can hold multiple keys per account (e.g. one per environment) and deactivate any of them at any time. Each key carries its own rate limit, derived from your plan.

Keep keys secret

Treat an API key like a password — send it only from server-side code, never embed it in a browser or mobile app. Rotate a key from the dashboard if it leaks.

Auth errors

HTTP	error	Meaning
401	missing_api_key	No x-api-key header was sent.
401	unknown_api_key	The key doesn’t exist.
403	inactive_api_key	The key was deactivated.
403	account_blocked	The account is suspended.

See Errors & retries for the full error model and the codes you should retry.