Authentication Methods

SnapTrade supports two SDK authentication modes for API key integrations: Commercial API key and Personal API key. The selected SDK auth mode controls whether userId and userSecret are valid operation parameters.

Commercial apps own many SnapTrade users. They register or authenticate a SnapTrade user, then fetch account data by passing that user's userId and userSecret.

Your Personal API key identifies your SnapTrade account directly. Account data is fetched without userId or userSecret.

In both modes, generate a Connection Portal URL and connect a brokerage account before calling account-data APIs.

Quick Comparison

Method	Best for	SDK auth setup	Account-data operation credentials
Commercial API key	Apps managing many end users	`SnaptradeAuth.commercialApiKey(...)` / `SnapTradeAuth.commercial_api_key(...)`	Pass `userId` and `userSecret`
Personal API key	You, when calling SnapTrade with your own API key	`SnaptradeAuth.personalApiKey(...)` / `SnapTradeAuth.personal_api_key(...)`	Omit `userId` and `userSecret`

For a broader product-model comparison, see SnapTrade Personal vs Commercial.

Commercial API Key Authentication

Use Commercial API key authentication when your backend manages brokerage connections for your own end users.

The Commercial workflow is:

Initialize the SDK with Commercial clientId and consumerKey.
Register one SnapTrade user per end user with .
Store the returned userId and userSecret for that SnapTrade user.
Generate a Connection Portal URL with and have the user connect a brokerage account.
After the account is connected, fetch that user's account data by passing userId and userSecret to user-scoped operations.

TypeScript


import { Snaptrade, SnaptradeAuth } from "snaptrade-typescript-sdk";

const snaptrade = new Snaptrade({
  // Commercial auth is for apps managing many SnapTrade users.
  auth: SnaptradeAuth.commercialApiKey({
    clientId: process.env.SNAPTRADE_CLIENT_ID!,
    consumerKey: process.env.SNAPTRADE_CONSUMER_KEY!,
  }),
});

// This user is one of your app's end users.
const userId = "snaptrade-user-123";

const registeredUser = await snaptrade.authentication.registerSnapTradeUser({
  userId,
});

const userSecret = registeredUser.data.userSecret!;

// Generate connection URL.
const login = await snaptrade.authentication.loginSnapTradeUser({
  userId,
  userSecret,
});

console.log("Send this Connection Portal URL to your user:", login.data.redirectURI);

// After the user connects an account, you can fetch their account data.
const accounts = await snaptrade.accountInformation.listUserAccounts({
  // Commercial account-data calls include the user's credentials.
  userId,
  userSecret,
});

const activities = await snaptrade.accountInformation.getAccountActivities({
  accountId: accounts.data[0].id!,
  userId,
  userSecret,
  startDate: "2026-01-01",
  endDate: "2026-01-31",
  limit: 100,
});

console.log(activities.data);

Python


import os
from snaptrade_client import SnapTrade, SnapTradeAuth

snaptrade = SnapTrade(
    # Commercial auth is for apps managing many SnapTrade users.
    auth=SnapTradeAuth.commercial_api_key(
        client_id=os.environ["SNAPTRADE_CLIENT_ID"],
        consumer_key=os.environ["SNAPTRADE_CONSUMER_KEY"],
    )
)

# This user is one of your app's end users.
user_id = "snaptrade-user-123"

registered_user = snaptrade.authentication.register_snap_trade_user(
    user_id=user_id,
)

user_secret = registered_user.body["userSecret"]

# Generate connection URL.
login = snaptrade.authentication.login_snap_trade_user(
    user_id=user_id,
    user_secret=user_secret,
)

print("Send this Connection Portal URL to your user:", login.body["redirectURI"])

# After the user connects an account, you can fetch their account data.
accounts = snaptrade.account_information.list_user_accounts(
    # Commercial account-data calls include the user's credentials.
    user_id=user_id,
    user_secret=user_secret,
)

activities = snaptrade.account_information.get_account_activities(
    account_id=accounts.body[0]["id"],
    user_id=user_id,
    user_secret=user_secret,
    start_date="2026-01-01",
    end_date="2026-01-31",
    limit=100,
)

print(activities.body)

Rules:

Use SnaptradeAuth.commercialApiKey in TypeScript or SnapTradeAuth.commercial_api_key in Python.
Register or otherwise obtain a SnapTrade user's userId and userSecret before fetching that user's account data.
Pass userId and userSecret on user-scoped operations such as listing accounts, balances, positions, orders, holdings, activities, and connections.
Keep the consumerKey and each user's userSecret on a secure backend. Do not expose them in browser or mobile clients.

Personal API Key Authentication

Use Personal API key authentication when you call SnapTrade with your own Personal API key.

Your Personal clientId and consumerKey identify your SnapTrade account. There is no separate SnapTrade end-user record to register or pass on account-data calls. Generate a Connection Portal URL, connect your brokerage account, then fetch account data directly.

TypeScript


import { Snaptrade, SnaptradeAuth } from "snaptrade-typescript-sdk";

const snaptrade = new Snaptrade({
  // Personal auth means your API key is the user context.
  auth: SnaptradeAuth.personalApiKey({
    clientId: process.env.SNAPTRADE_CLIENT_ID!,
    consumerKey: process.env.SNAPTRADE_CONSUMER_KEY!,
  }),
});

// Generate connection URL.
const login = await snaptrade.authentication.loginSnapTradeUser();

console.log("Open this Connection Portal URL:", login.data.redirectURI);

// After you connect your account, fetch data directly.
const accounts = await snaptrade.accountInformation.listUserAccounts();

const activities = await snaptrade.accountInformation.getAccountActivities({
  // No userId or userSecret for Personal account-data calls.
  accountId: accounts.data[0].id!,
  startDate: "2026-01-01",
  endDate: "2026-01-31",
  limit: 100,
});

console.log(activities.data);

Python


import os
from snaptrade_client import SnapTrade, SnapTradeAuth

snaptrade = SnapTrade(
    # Personal auth means your API key is the user context.
    auth=SnapTradeAuth.personal_api_key(
        client_id=os.environ["SNAPTRADE_CLIENT_ID"],
        consumer_key=os.environ["SNAPTRADE_CONSUMER_KEY"],
    )
)

# Generate connection URL.
login = snaptrade.authentication.login_snap_trade_user()

print("Open this Connection Portal URL:", login.body["redirectURI"])

# After you connect your account, fetch data directly.
accounts = snaptrade.account_information.list_user_accounts()

activities = snaptrade.account_information.get_account_activities(
    # No user_id or user_secret for Personal account-data calls.
    account_id=accounts.body[0]["id"],
    start_date="2026-01-01",
    end_date="2026-01-31",
    limit=100,
)

print(activities.body)

Rules:

Use SnaptradeAuth.personalApiKey in TypeScript or SnapTradeAuth.personal_api_key in Python.
Generate a Connection Portal URL and connect your brokerage account before fetching account data.
Fetch account data directly after connection. Your Personal API key identifies your SnapTrade account.
Omit userId and userSecret on account-data operations.
Do not call . User registration is for Commercial apps managing SnapTrade users for their own end users.

Credential Rules

Commercial API key:

SDK initialization uses Commercial clientId and consumerKey through the Commercial API key auth helper.
User-management operations register and authenticate individual SnapTrade users.
User-scoped account-data calls include userId and userSecret.
Direct HTTP requests are signed with the Commercial consumerKey.

Personal API key:

SDK initialization uses Personal clientId and consumerKey through the Personal API key auth helper.
Your Personal API key identifies your SnapTrade account.
Connection Portal login uses the Personal API key context and does not require userId or userSecret.
Account-data calls omit userId and userSecret.
Direct HTTP requests are signed with the Personal consumerKey.

Direct HTTP Reference

Prefer the SDKs unless you need to debug a raw request.

Commercial API key requests include clientId, timestamp, a Signature header, and user credentials for user-scoped endpoints:

# Commercial signed requests include the SnapTrade user's credentials.
GET /api/v1/accounts/<account_id>/activities?clientId=<client_id>&timestamp=<unix_timestamp>&userId=<user_id>&userSecret=<user_secret>
Signature: <signature>

Personal API key requests include clientId, timestamp, and a Signature header, but omit user credentials:

# Personal signed requests omit user credentials.
GET /api/v1/accounts/<account_id>/activities?clientId=<client_id>&timestamp=<unix_timestamp>
Signature: <signature>

For signature details, see Request Signatures.

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