Set up API access

API access keys provide a secure authentication mechanism for external applications accessing OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering's API.

API key authentication

To access OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering, applications must use registered access keys. These applications use the access keys for authentication when communicating as clients with OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering.

Applications that need authentication include:

  • OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering's CI and Application Automation Tool plug-ins: Git, Bamboo, TeamCity, Jenkins, and Azure DevOps. For details, see Plug-ins.

  • Other third-party applications and APIs that need to integrate, such as those located behind a firewall.

Administrators generate and manage the list of API access keys.

  • Each API access key includes a Client ID and a Secret Code for applications to use when authenticating. The secret code is like a user password and should be recorded securely.

    Tip: Each secret code is generated only once, and the secret code cannot be retrieved later. If you need a new secret code, delete the access key and generate a new access key. For details, see Delete API access keys and Create API access keys.

  • Each API access key is associated with an OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering user. Therefore, when an application uses an API key to access OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering, the application is limited by its user's permissions.

  • An API access key can be used only if it is listed as Active in the list of API keys.

Create API access keys

Create an API access key and associate it with users.

  1. In the Administration module, select Management > Users and click the Access Keys tab.

  2. On the Access Keys toolbar, click the Add Access Key button Add Access Key, and select a user to associate with the key (the users list displays users with Active status only).

    Note: An administrator can assign up to two keys per user.

  3. Click Generate Access Key. You receive a Client ID and Secret Code, which you must provide to the person who uses this key for authentication.

  4. Click Copy to Clipboard to copy these keys to the clipboard for use when configuring applications that require access. The keys are copied in JSON format.

  5. Click Save. The access key is added to the grid, and its status is Active.

    The User Status column reflects the status (Active/Inactive) of the user associated with the API access key. When the user's status is Inactive, the values in the User Name and User Status columns appear unavailable.

Deactivate and reactivate API access keys

Deactivate API access keys to temporarily block access to OpenText Enterprise Performance Engineering.

  1. In the Administration module, select Management > Users and click the Access Keys tab.

  2. Select the row of the access key you want to deactivate.

  3. Click Deactivate. The access key is immediately revoked and its status changes to Inactive.

    When you deactivate an access key, applications that use this key are blocked from accessing the system.

    To reactivate the key, select the deactivated key row and click Activate. The access key is immediately restored and its status changes to Active.

Delete API access keys

When you delete an API access key, applications that use this key can no longer access the system.

  1. In the Administration module, select Management > Users and click the Access Keys tab.

  2. Select the row of the access key to be deleted.

  3. Click the Delete Access Key button Delete Access Key. The access key is deleted from the grid.

Note: If a user is deleted from the Administration module, all the user's access keys are deleted automatically.

Track API connections

Track API connections in the Connection Audit page. For details, see Track user login and logout connections.

See also