Authenticate with an API key

An Application programming interface key (API key) is a permanent access token that defines the scope and permission for granting a public-facing application access to ready-to-use services. With ArcGIS REST JS, you use the ApiKeyManager class to set your API key before accessing services.

In this tutorial, you create and configure an API key that enables access to the geocoding and routing services for an application.

Prerequisites

You need an ArcGIS account to create an API key and access location services.

Steps

Create an API key

You can create and configure your API key in the developer dashboard so that it is scoped to access the geocoding and routing services.

Go to the API key page in your developer dashboard.
On the left, click +New API Key and set the:
- Title: GeocodingRoutingKey
- Description API key configured to access the geocoding and routing services.
Click Create API key

Configure the API key

If you have an ArcGIS Developer account, by default your key will have access to the free tier of location services. If you have an organization account, by default your key will be scoped to access basemaps and non-stored geocodes.

In the Overview page of the API key, locate Location services at the bottom.
In the Location services pane, click Configure services. Check the following service cards:
- Geocoding (not stored)
- Routing
Un-check any other service cards.
Click the Configure service(s) button.
In the Overview page, click the copy icon to copy your API key to set later.

Create a new pen

If you are using the CDN libraries, to get started.

Add references

The request package contains request/response processing, authentication helpers, and error handling.

Add references to the request, geocoding, and routing packages.

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  <body>
    <pre id="result"></pre>

    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-request@4.0.0/dist/bundled/request.umd.js"></script>
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-geocoding@4.0.0/dist/bundled/geocoding.umd.js"></script>
     <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-routing@4.0.0/dist/bundled/routing.umd.js"></script>
    <script>

    </script>
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Set the API key

Create an apiKey variable to set your key and an authentication variable that will call the fromKey method to create an instance of ApiKeyManager.

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    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-request@4.0.0/dist/bundled/request.umd.js"></script>
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-geocoding@4.0.0/dist/bundled/geocoding.umd.js"></script>
     <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/arcgis-rest-routing@4.0.0/dist/bundled/routing.umd.js"></script>
    <script>

    const apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";

    const authentication = arcgisRest.ApiKeyManager.fromKey(apiKey);
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Find places

Create a function to call the geocoding service to find McDonald's places around a location in Denver.

Add a place variable to define a search string and a start variable to define the location to start searching from.

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    const apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";

    const authentication = arcgisRest.ApiKeyManager.fromKey(apiKey);

    const place = "McDonalds";
    const start = [-104.9903, 39.7392]; // Downtown Denver

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Create an async function called app. In the function, set the places variable to the geocode operation and define the parameters for address and location. Set the maxLocation to return only one result. Set outFields to return the PlaceName, Place_addr, and Phone of the restaurant. Lastly, set the authentication so the request uses your scoped API keys.

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    const apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";

    const authentication = arcgisRest.ApiKeyManager.fromKey(apiKey);

    const place = "McDonalds";
    const start = [-104.9903, 39.7392]; // Downtown Denver

    async function app() {

      const places = await arcgisRest
        .geocode({
          params: {
            address: place, // Place name to search for
            location: start,
            maxLocations: 1
          },
          outFields: ["PlaceName", "Place_addr", "Phone"],
          authentication
        });
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Display the results for the first result that is returned in the array of candidates in places. Call the JSON.stringify method to return all the properties of the candidate and insert 2 white space characters. This will be appended to the text content in the results HTML element.

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      const places = await arcgisRest
        .geocode({
          params: {
            address: place, // Place name to search for
            location: start,
            maxLocations: 1
          },
          outFields: ["PlaceName", "Place_addr", "Phone"],
          authentication
        });

      const candidate = places.candidates[0];
      document.getElementById("result").textContent = JSON.stringify(candidate, null, 2);
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Call the app function.

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      const candidate = places.candidates[0];
      document.getElementById("result").textContent = JSON.stringify(candidate, null, 2);

    }

    app();
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In CodePen, run the application to view the address, placeName, extent, and other attributes.

Find the route

To generate a route, you need a minimum of a start and an end location. Use the start location (downtown Denver) and the first place result from the geocode operation to get the route and driving directions to the closest McDonald's.

In the app function, define an end variable to the contain the coordinates of the first place (McDonald's) found from the call to the geocoding service.

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      const candidate = places.candidates[0];
      document.getElementById("result").textContent = JSON.stringify(candidate, null, 2);

      const end = [candidate.location.x, candidate.location.y];

    }

    app();
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Call the solveRoute operation and define the stops with the start and end locations. Set the authentication so the request uses your scoped API key.

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      const candidate = places.candidates[0];
      document.getElementById("result").textContent = JSON.stringify(candidate, null, 2);

      const end = [candidate.location.x, candidate.location.y];

      const directions = await arcgisRest
        .solveRoute({
          stops: [
            start,
            end
          ],
          authentication
        });

      document.getElementById("result").textContent += JSON.stringify(directions, null, 2);

    }

    app();
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Display the path between the two locations set in directions by using the JSON.stringify method and appending the results in the results HTML element.

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      const directions = await arcgisRest
        .solveRoute({
          stops: [
            start,
            end
          ],
          authentication
        });

      document.getElementById("result").textContent += JSON.stringify(directions, null, 2);
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In CodePen, run the application. You will see the JSON results for the path between the location in downtown Denver and the first McDonald's place that was found.

Result

The request will return the following :

What's next?

Learn how to use additional ArcGIS location services in these tutorials:

Edit feature data

Add, update, and delete data in a hosted feature layer.

Authenticate with an ArcGIS identity (Browser)

Learn how to authenticate (from the browser) with an ArcGIS identity using the ArcGIS REST JS API.

Get layer metadata

Access the name, description, type and other properties of a hosted layer.

ArcGIS REST JS

Authenticate with an API key

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