Get Tokens

Overview

The BackOps Event API uses a layered token system. You start with an API key and exchange it for scoped tokens that authorize access to specific resources. Most API calls require at least an event token — collaborator and area tokens are needed when accessing endpoints scoped to those resources.

Step 1 — Start with your API key

Your API key is the root credential for all API access. Pass it as a Bearer token on every request:

Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>

On its own, the API key is sufficient only for the authorize endpoints below. All other calls require one or more context tokens in addition.

Step 2 — Exchange your API key for an event token

To access any event-scoped endpoint, first call the event authorize endpoint with your API key:

GET /Events/{eventId}/authorize
Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>

The response body contains a token field. This is your event token — include it on all subsequent event-scoped requests:

x-Event-Token: <event-token>

Step 3 — Obtain collaborator or area tokens (when needed)

Some endpoints are scoped to a specific collaborator or area. To access those, exchange your event token for the appropriate scoped token.

Collaborator token:

GET /Collaborators/{collaboratorId}/authorize
Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>
x-Event-Token: <event-token>

Area token:

GET /Areas/{areaId}/authorize
Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>
x-Event-Token: <event-token>

Pass the returned tokens as custom headers on calls that require them:

x-Collaborator-Token: <collaborator-token>
x-Area-Token: <area-token>

Token Summary

Token	Header	How to obtain
Event token	x-Event-Token	GET /Events/{eventId}/authorize with your API key as Bearer
Collaborator token	x-Collaborator-Token	GET /Collaborators/{collaboratorId}/authorize with your API key + event token
Area token	x-Area-Token	GET /Areas/{areaId}/authorize with your API key + event token

When each token is required

Token	Required for
Bearer (API key)	Every request
Event token	All endpoints under /Events/{eventId}/... and any sub-resource of an event
Collaborator token	Endpoints under /Collaborators/{collaboratorId}/...
Area token	Endpoints under /Areas/{areaId}/...