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

# Get API Credentials

## Get client secret pair

The Nitro APIs use machine-to-machine OAuth with the client credentials grant type to generate access tokens for authenticating API requests.
You can create an API application and obtain the associated client credentials through our self-service portal by following these steps:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Log in to the Nitro Admin Portal">
    * Navigate to the [Admin Portal](http://admin.gonitro.com/)
    * Sign in using your global admin credentials

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/go-nitro/TIdEeF085mERUDhq/images/auth-admin-portal.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=TIdEeF085mERUDhq&q=85&s=892dc95f9a970442ecdb15cf74a093a0" alt="Admin Dashboard" width="2930" height="1478" data-path="images/auth-admin-portal.png" />

    <Note>Only users with the Global Admin role can log in to the Nitro Admin Portal</Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create an Application">
    API access credentials are granted to applications. You can create up to 25 applications with separate access credentials.

    To create a new app:

    * Click Settings in the left navigation panel
    * Select the API tab
    * Click Create Application in the upper right corner

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/go-nitro/TIdEeF085mERUDhq/images/auth-api-tab.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=TIdEeF085mERUDhq&q=85&s=38f995437a9091509c616f650f5073b7" alt="Admin Dashboard" width="1585" height="854" data-path="images/auth-api-tab.png" />

    <Note>The API functionality requires a Nitro Sign Enterprise Plan.</Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Give your application a descriptive name">
    After clicking Create Application, a modal will appear. Enter a descriptive name for your application (e.g., "Invoice Processing App" or "Document Automation") and click Create.
    The application name must be unique, no longer than 64 characters, and characters `<` and `>` are not allowed.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/go-nitro/TIdEeF085mERUDhq/images/auth-app-name.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=TIdEeF085mERUDhq&q=85&s=1032f76929afc8aa5d12065ff7776fb4" alt="Admin Portal Create app modal" width="1585" height="856" data-path="images/auth-app-name.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Extract credentials">
    When your Application is created, the modal will display the following fields:

    * Client ID: A public identifier for your application.
    * Client Secret: A private key tied to your organization that enables your application to generate short-lived access tokens for making authenticated HTTPS requests to the Nitro APIs.
    * Oauth Token endpoint: The URL where your application requests access tokens.

    <Note>Store your Client Secret in a secure location. Do not save it on personal devices, mobile phones, shared folders, or source code repositories. Instead, use a secrets manager to store it and expose it to your application using that manager's best practices.</Note>

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/go-nitro/TIdEeF085mERUDhq/images/auth-credentials.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=TIdEeF085mERUDhq&q=85&s=e8d07e6c0c49ae49744874bcb73f71d5" alt="Admin Portal Create app modal with credentials data" width="1584" height="855" data-path="images/auth-credentials.png" />

    **Retrieve credentials any time**
    Your application will be listed in the table in the API panel. You can retrieve your credentials at any time by selecting the application from the table, which will display the credentials in the right-side panel.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/go-nitro/TIdEeF085mERUDhq/images/auth-right-panel.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=TIdEeF085mERUDhq&q=85&s=1dcb7e673af25bc4aff41380b2893090" alt="Nitro Admin Portal right side panel" width="1584" height="856" data-path="images/auth-right-panel.png" />
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next Step

With your application credentials ready, the next step is to request access tokens using the OAuth endpoint and your credentials.