Authentication

WA-RS uses token-based authentication. All API endpoints (except /health and /swagger-ui) require a valid token.

Setting Your Token

There are three ways to set your superadmin token:

1. CLI Argument (recommended for quick start)

./wa-rs --token YOUR_TOKEN

2. Environment Variable

export SUPERADMIN_TOKEN=YOUR_TOKEN

3. .env File

SUPERADMIN_TOKEN=YOUR_TOKEN

Your token can be any string you choose (e.g. my-secret-token-123). No need to generate a JWT manually.

tip

If you don't set SUPERADMIN_TOKEN, WA-RS auto-generates a JWT token and prints it to the console on startup. Setting your own token is simpler and recommended.

Using the Token

Include the token in the Authorization header with the Bearer prefix:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  http://localhost:3451/api/v1/sessions

Request Examples

List Sessions

curl -X GET \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  http://localhost:3451/api/v1/sessions

Create Session

curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"id": "my-session", "name": "My Account"}' \
  http://localhost:3451/api/v1/sessions

Error Responses

Missing Token

{
  "error": "Unauthorized",
  "message": "Missing or invalid Authorization header. Use: Bearer <token>"
}

Invalid Token

{
  "error": "Unauthorized",
  "message": "Invalid token format"
}

Expired Token (JWT only)

{
  "error": "Unauthorized",
  "message": "Token has expired"
}

How Authentication Works

WA-RS checks tokens in this order:

1. SUPERADMIN_TOKEN match — if the Bearer token matches SUPERADMIN_TOKEN, access is granted immediately
2. JWT validation — if no match, the token is decoded as a JWT signed with JWT_SECRET

This means you can use either a plain string token or a JWT token.

JWT Configuration (Advanced)

If you prefer JWT tokens, you can set a custom signing secret:

JWT_SECRET=your-super-secure-secret-key

The auto-generated JWT token contains:

{
  "sub": "superadmin",
  "role": "superadmin",
  "exp": 1798679117,
  "iat": 1767143117
}

Field	Description
sub	Subject (user identifier)
role	User role (must be "superadmin")
exp	Expiration timestamp (1 year from generation)
iat	Issued at timestamp

Using Swagger UI

To authenticate API requests in Swagger UI:

1. Open Swagger UI at http://localhost:3451/swagger-ui
2. Click the "Authorize" button (lock icon) at the top right
3. Enter your token:

   Bearer YOUR_TOKEN

4. Click "Authorize" then "Close"
5. All API requests will now include your token

Public Endpoints

These endpoints don't require authentication:

Endpoint	Description
GET /health	Health check
GET /swagger-ui/*	Swagger UI
GET /api-docs/*	OpenAPI spec