Authentication

How to authenticate requests to the Smartcomply API.

All requests to the Adhere API must include your secret key in the request headers. Requests without a valid key will return a 401 Unauthorized error.

Base URL

https://adhere-api.smartcomply.com

Getting Your API Key

After completing your business KYC on the Adhere dashboard:

1. Navigate to Settings → API Keys
2. Click Generate Key
3. Copy and store the key securely — it will not be shown again

Request Headers

Header	Value	Required
x-access-token	Your secret API key	Yes
Content-Type	application/json	Yes

Example Request

curl -X POST "https://adhere-api.smartcomply.com/api/onboarding/nigeria_kyc/bvn/" \
  -H "x-access-token: YOUR_SECRET_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"bvn": "22000000001"}'

Security Best Practices

Never expose your secret key in client-side code, public repositories, or logs.

• Use environment variables — store your key in .env files and load it at runtime, never hard-code it
• Use separate keys per environment — maintain distinct keys for development, staging, and production
• Rotate keys periodically — regenerate your key from the dashboard if you suspect it has been compromised
• Restrict key usage — only share keys with services that strictly need them