Authentication

How to authenticate with the PayBridgeNP API using Bearer API keys.

All PayBridgeNP API endpoints (except GET /v1/public/payment-status) require a Bearer API key in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer sk_test_your_key_here

Getting your API keys

Sign up at dashboard.paybridgenp.com and go to Settings → API Keys.

Key prefixes

Prefix	Mode	Use
sk_test_	Sandbox	Testing - no real money moves
sk_live_	Live	Production - real payments

The mode is fixed per key. A sandbox key can only create sandbox checkout sessions; a live key creates real payments.

Never expose API keys in client-side code, browser JavaScript, or version control. Use server-side environment variables only.

Example request

curl https://api.paybridgenp.com/v1/payments \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_your_key"

Authentication errors

When authentication fails, the response body always includes a code field so your integration can branch on the failure mode without parsing human-readable messages.

code	HTTP	When it fires
api_key_missing	401	No Authorization: Bearer ... header, or the key portion is empty.
api_key_invalid	401	Key not recognised - typo, deleted project, or wrong environment.
api_key_revoked	401	Key was explicitly revoked from the dashboard. Generate a new one.
api_key_expired	401	Key passed its expiration timestamp.
api_key_must_be_secret	403	Endpoint requires sk_...; a publishable pk_... key was sent.
account_suspended	403	Merchant account suspended. See suspended_at + suspended_reason in the body.

Example invalid-key response:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Invalid API key. Verify the key in your dashboard at https://dashboard.paybridgenp.com.",
    "type": "authentication_error",
    "code": "api_key_invalid",
    "request_id": "req_2Je91NlWKuXkdXUJOK9gaHNW"
  }
}

Account suspended

If your merchant account has been suspended by PayBridgeNP, all API key requests return:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "This merchant account has been suspended. Contact [e-mail] to resolve.",
    "type": "account_error",
    "code": "account_suspended",
    "request_id": "req_...",
    "suspension": {
      "suspended_at": "2026-04-20T10:00:00.000Z",
      "reason": "Violation of terms of service"
    }
  }
}

HTTP status: 403 Forbidden

Your API keys, checkout sessions, and hosted payment pages will all be blocked until the suspension is lifted. Contact [e-mail] to resolve.

Rotating keys

You can generate a new API key from the dashboard at any time. Old keys remain valid until you revoke them. Revoke a key immediately if it’s been exposed.