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API Reference

Authentication

Developer API requests are authenticated with an API key sent in the X-API-Key header (the public demo endpoints under /api/v1/public/ require no key and are IP rate limited). Keys are generated in the developer dashboard after creating an account, and each key is tied to your plan’s rate limits and monthly quota.

Authenticated request
curl "https://calorieapiadmin.com/api/v1/search/foods?q=apple" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here"

Getting an API key

  • Create a free account, no credit card required for the Free tier.
  • Choose a plan (you can start on Free and upgrade later).
  • Generate a key from the dashboard under API Keys.

Keep your API key secure

Never expose your API key in client-side code or public repositories. Call the API from your backend, or proxy requests through your own server, and store keys in environment variables or a secrets manager. Keys are hashed at rest on our side and can be revoked and regenerated from the dashboard at any time.

Authentication errors

Auth-related status codes

401Missing or invalid API key. Check the X-API-Key header.
402Monthly quota exceeded. Upgrade your plan or wait for the cycle reset.
403Commercial use not allowed on your plan, the endpoint is not enabled for your plan, or a food-coverage limit was reached.
423Account on a temporary security hold due to unusual activity. Not retryable; contact support to restore access.

Dashboard sessions use JWT authentication after sign-in; API traffic from your applications should always use API keys.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the API key in a mobile app directly?

Avoid shipping raw API keys in mobile binaries, they can be extracted. Route requests through your backend so the key stays server-side, and enforce your own per-user limits in front of it.

How do I rotate an API key?

Generate a new key in the dashboard, deploy it to your services, then revoke the old key. Revocation is immediate.

Do I need different keys for staging and production?

It is good practice to create separate keys per environment so you can revoke or monitor them independently in the dashboard.