https://my-domain.zendesk.com/api/v2/users.json

curl https://my-domain.zendesk.com/api/v2/users.json -v -u my@email.com:my#password, 

*   Trying 104.16.51.111:443...
* Connected to my-domain.zendesk.com (104.16.51.111) port 443 (#0)
* schannel: disabled automatic use of client certificate
* ALPN: offers http/1.1
* ALPN: server accepted http/1.1
* Server auth using Basic with user 'my@email.com'
> GET /api/v2/users.json HTTP/1.1
> Host: my-domain.zendesk.com
> Authorization: Basic ***
> User-Agent: curl/7.83.1
> Accept: */*
>
* Mark bundle as not supporting multiuse
< HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
< Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2022 19:24:38 GMT
< Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
< Content-Length: 37
< Connection: keep-alive
* Authentication problem. Ignoring this.
< www-authenticate: Basic realm="Web Password"
< strict-transport-security: max-age=31536000;
< cache-control: no-cache
< x-zendesk-origin-server: classic-app-server-85767c77db-qrbvk
< set-cookie: _zendesk_cookie=***--***; path=/; expires=Thu, 02 Nov 2023 13:01:33 GMT; secure; HttpOnly; SameSite=None
< x-request-id: 763f4064c87917bd-EWR
< X-Request-ID: 763f4064c87917bd-EWR
< x-runtime: 0.058717
< X-Zendesk-Zorg: yes
< CF-Cache-Status: DYNAMIC
< Report-To: {"endpoints":[{"url":"https:\/\/a.nel.cloudflare.com\/report\/v3?s=***"}],"group":"cf-nel","max_age":604800}
< NEL: {"success_fraction":0.01,"report_to":"cf-nel","max_age":604800}
< Set-Cookie: __cfruid=***; path=/; domain=.my-domain.zendesk.com; HttpOnly; Secure; SameSite=None
< Server: cloudflare
< CF-RAY: 763f4064c87917bd-EWR
<
{"error":"Couldn't authenticate you"}* Connection #0 to host my-domain.zendesk.com left intact

• Ahmed Zaid

  • November 04, 2022 12:15

  Community Moderator

  Hi Pierre Clouthier,

  This is indeed an encoding problem. Since your password contains special characters, you should use base64 encoding.

  Use base64 command in bash or any similar tool:

  echo 'myemail:mypassword' | base64

  You should get something like `bXllbWFpbDpteXBhc3N3b3JkCg==`

  Then instead of 

  -u myemail:mypassword, 

  Use

  -H 'Authorization:  Basic bXllbWFpbDpteXBhc3N3b3JkCg=='

  Luckily, this problem has saved your exact password from being revealed in the post. However, I urge you to reset your password immediately.

• Pierre Clouthier

  • November 06, 2022 11:57
  • Edited

  Thank you very much for your reply.

  I have tried this method, but I'm still getting rejected ("HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized").

  Does Zendesk have to turn on an option for my account?

  Why do I need to change my password? "my-domain" and " my@email.com:my#password" are made-up and fictitious.

  BTW the example includes the trailing line feed (x0A) ("Cg==").

• Pierre Clouthier

  • November 07, 2022 15:57

  I have removed the special character from the password, and I am still getting "HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized", so that does not appear to be the problem.

  Any suggestions?

• James Rodewig

  • November 07, 2022 16:01

  Zendesk Documentation Team

  Hi Pierre,

  Have you enabled password API access for your account?
  
  There is some related documentation here: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408836402074-Using-the-API-dashboard#enabling_password_or_token_access

  I hope that helps!

• Pierre Clouthier

  • November 07, 2022 17:14

  Hi James -

  Thank you for your reply. API password access was indeed enabled for my account:

  

  Still not working.

  I'm using a password, not a Token.

  Note that it works if I copy & paste the URL in my browser. It's just the cURL call that fails.

  I would very much like it to work with cURL  :o)

• James Rodewig

  • November 07, 2022 17:48
  • Edited

  Zendesk Documentation Team

  Hi Pierre,

  Do you have 2-factor authentication enabled for your user profile? If you have 2-factor authentication enabled for your profile, you won't be able to use basic authentication. We call this out in the docs here.

• Pierre Clouthier

  • November 07, 2022 18:56

  Yes, I have 2FA activated. I will study the documentation and see if I can figure this out.

  Thank you again.

• Pierre Clouthier

  • November 07, 2022 19:30
  • Edited

  HOORAY! It works!

  The solution is to use:

  curl https://my-domain.zendesk.com/api/v2/users.json -v -u my@email.com/token:my-token

  The token is obtained in the Admin Center, "Apps and Integrations", "Zendesk API", Turn on Token Access, and "Add API token".

  Suggestion: it would be really helpful if this were referenced in the Users API documentation, for example https://developer.zendesk.com/api-reference/ticketing/users/users/

  Thank you again  :o)

   

• James Rodewig

  • November 07, 2022 19:30

  Zendesk Documentation Team

  Congrats, Pierre! I'm glad to hear you got everything working.

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