Is it possible to combine RapidAPI credentials into a single endpoint URL?

[Laura219]

I’m working with RapidAPI and wondering if there’s a way to include the API key directly in the URL instead of using separate headers. Right now I’m using this approach:

val endpoint = "MY_ENDPOINT_URL"
val result: HttpResponse<String> = Unirest
    .get(endpoint)
    .header("X-RapidAPI-Key", "MY_API_KEY")
    .header("x-rapidapi-host", "MY_HOST")
    .asString()

I keep running into various errors with this setup. I’ve watched several tutorials where developers seem to use a single URL that contains everything needed for authentication. This has me confused about whether I can merge the API key and host information directly into one URL parameter instead of splitting them across different headers. Has anyone found a way to simplify this into a single request URL?

[Liam_25Meditation]

i totally feel ya! but for RapidAPI, those headers are a must to make it work. some other APIs might let you use just the url, but RapidAPI is kinda strict. best stick with the headers i guess!

[alexlee]

RapidAPI doesn’t let you embed credentials in URLs - it’s header-based auth only. I’ve used their platform for two years and this never changes. Those tutorials you saw were probably hitting APIs directly, not through RapidAPI’s proxy. Your code looks fine syntax-wise. When I got similar errors, it was usually the host header not matching exactly what’s in RapidAPI’s code snippets. Copy the host value character-for-character from your dashboard. Also check that your subscription’s active and you haven’t hit rate limits - these often throw auth errors that look misleading.

[livbrown]

Unfortunately, you can’t bypass RapidAPI’s header requirements by putting credentials in the URL. Those tutorials showing single URLs probably weren’t using RapidAPI - they were likely using other services that let you authenticate through query parameters. RapidAPI uses header-based auth for security reasons, so you’re stuck with that approach. If you’re getting errors, it’s probably not the headers themselves but wrong values or network issues. Double-check that your API key’s still active, the host header matches exactly what’s in your RapidAPI dashboard, and you’re hitting the right endpoint.