generated: '2026-08-09'
method: searched
source: https://stayingapi.com/docs/authentication
docs:
  - https://stayingapi.com/docs/authentication
  - https://stayingapi.com/docs/try-it
  - https://stayingapi.com/docs/quickstart
description: >-
  StayingAPI separates test from live at the key prefix and changes the transport, not the
  schema: a stay_test_ key returns deterministic fixtures, always free, and always
  synchronously — the 202 + job-polling contract only appears on live scrapes. That makes
  the sandbox the fastest way to build against the async-free happy path, and it is why the
  provider ships a browser Try-It console that answers with a real 200 at zero credits.
key_separation:
  live_prefix: stay_live_
  test_prefix: stay_test_
  transport: 'Authorization: Bearer <key>'
  environment_echo:
    - meta.environment (live | test)
    - meta.sandbox (boolean)
    - GET /v1/account -> data.key.env (live | sandbox)
modes:
  - mode: sandbox
    key_prefix: stay_test_
    credits: 0 — always free
    responses: synchronous HTTP 200; never a live scrape
    data: deterministic Airbnb + Booking fixtures
    availability: works immediately, before email verification
  - mode: live
    key_prefix: stay_live_
    credits: charged per the published per-endpoint credit costs
    responses: >-
      HTTP 200 on a cache hit; HTTP 202 + jobId when projected runtime exceeds the ~8s async
      threshold, then poll GET /v1/jobs/{jobId}
    gate: >-
      Live credits are locked until account email is verified; until then a live call
      returns 403 permission_denied / email_unverified.
console:
  url: https://stayingapi.com/docs/try-it
  description: >-
    Browser Try-It console — a parameter editor and request builder that runs against the
    deterministic sandbox for a real 200 at zero credits, with no key required. Users can
    substitute their own stay_test_ or stay_live_ key.
  endpoints:
    - /v1/search
    - /v1/price
    - /v1/price-compare
    - /v1/availability
    - /v1/listing
    - /v1/reviews
    - /v1/account
free_tier:
  credits: 300
  card_required: false
  validity: 90 days
  rate_limit: 30 requests/minute
  signup: https://stayingapi.com/signup
  keys: https://stayingapi.com/dashboard/keys
test_values:
  published: false
  note: >-
    The provider publishes the key prefixes and describes the fixtures as "deterministic
    Airbnb + Booking sandbox fixtures", but does NOT publish concrete example listing ids,
    sample fixture payloads or magic test identifiers. None are invented here. This is the
    one real gap in an otherwise strong sandbox story — a published fixture id per platform
    would let an agent write a test without first minting a key.
sdk_behavior: >-
  '@stayingapi/sdk' auto-polls a live 202 to completion, so sandbox and live code paths look
  identical to the caller.
x-evidence:
  - url: https://stayingapi.com/docs/authentication
    http_status: 200
  - url: https://stayingapi.com/docs/try-it
    http_status: 200
  - url: https://api.stayingapi.com/openapi.json
    http_status: 200
    note: >-
      securitySchemes.bearerAuth description names the stay_test_ / stay_live_ split;
      Meta.environment and Meta.sandbox echo it on every response.