# Authentication

In order for bots to access the Symphony Messaging REST API and other Symphony Messaging resources, bots must first authenticate.

As we learned in [Overview of Pod API](/bots/overview-of-rest-api/pod-api.md), bots must be authenticated on the Pod in order to access Pod API endpoints. To make authenticated Pod API calls, bots must pass a valid Session Token as a header of each Pod API request.

We also learned in [Overview of Agent API](/bots/overview-of-rest-api/agent-api.md), that bots must be authenticated on the Key Manager in order to access Agent API endpoints. To make authenticated Agent API calls, Bots must pass a valid Session Token and Key Manager Token as headers of each Agent API request.

{% hint style="info" %}

### Token Management

The token you receive is valid for the lifetime of a session that is defined by your Pod's administration team. This ranges from 1 hour to 2 weeks.

You should keep using the same token until you receive an HTTP 401, at which you should re-authenticate and get a new token for a new session.

Note: Datafeeds survive session expiration, you do not need to re-create your datafeed if your session expires.
{% endhint %}

In order to obtain a valid Session Token and Key Manager Token, bots must call the Session Authenticate endpoint on the Pod and Key Manager Authentication endpoint on the Key Manager.

## RSA Authentication Workflow

We recommend that bots follow the RSA authentication workflow in order to obtain valid Session and Key Manager Tokens:

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MB58TQnBzGT7E7trTie" %}
[RSA Authentication Workflow](/bots/authentication/rsa-authentication.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## Certificate-Based Authentication Workflow

For users that do not want to use RSA Authentication, bots can perform certificate-based authentication in order to obtain valid Session and Key Manager Tokens:

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MB58W7RSKsr9uV6o3ZH" %}
[Certificate Authentication Workflow](/bots/authentication/certificate-authentication.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.developers.symphony.com/bots/authentication.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.