> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Perform an API request using a Token

> This guide explains how to authenticate API requests to HashiCorp Consul using ACL tokens in HTTP headers.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to authenticate API requests to HashiCorp Consul by supplying your ACL token in the HTTP header. Consul supports two equivalent header options:

* **X-Consul-Token**
* **Authorization: Bearer**

Both methods achieve the same result—authorizing your request against the Consul ACL system—so you can choose the one that best fits your environment.

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#1CB2FE">
  Always keep your ACL tokens secure. Never commit them to version control or expose them in public logs.
</Callout>

## Header Options Comparison

| Header Option         | Syntax                                   |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| X-Consul-Token        | `X-Consul-Token: <your-acl-token>`       |
| Authorization: Bearer | `Authorization: Bearer <your-acl-token>` |

## Example 1: Using X-Consul-Token

```bash theme={null}
curl -X PUT \
  --header "X-Consul-Token: ec15675e-2999-d789-832e-8c4794daa8d7" \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://consul.example.com:8500/v1/acl/token
```

## Example 2: Using Authorization: Bearer

```bash theme={null}
curl -X PUT \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer ec15675e-2999-d789-832e-8c4794daa8d7" \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://consul.example.com:8500/v1/acl/token
```

Both commands send a `PUT` request to the `/v1/acl/token` endpoint, including:

* The JSON payload from `payload.json`
* Your ACL token in the request header

Consul validates the token and authorizes the operation, returning a success response if the token has the proper permissions.

## Next Steps

Jump into your lab environment and run these commands to verify that Consul accepts your token-based authentication.

## Links and References

* [Consul ACL API Documentation](https://www.consul.io/api-docs/acl)
* [HashiCorp Consul Official Site](https://www.consul.io/)
* [cURL Reference Manual](https://curl.se/docs/manual.html)

<CardGroup>
  <Card title="Watch Video" icon="video" cta="Learn more" href="https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/hashicorp-certified-consul-associate-certification/module/77c34744-e0fe-450e-82ea-c699ae223d45/lesson/adf09f7c-5caa-43a6-a552-da2f753cb767" />
</CardGroup>