> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wisdomnwokocha.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Obtain API key

> Learn how to get the right credential for your authentication

To access TMDB API, you'll need to authenticate with either an API key or an access token (which can be used as a bearer token).
Follow the steps below to obtain these credentials.

1. [Login](https://www.themoviedb.org/login) to your TMDB account (or create a new account if you don't have one).
   You'll be redirected to your TMDB dashboard.
   <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wisdomnwokocha/images/tmdb-dashboard.png" alt="tmbd dashboard" />
   <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wisdomnwokocha/images/tmdb-dashboard.png" alt="tmbd dashboard" />

2. On the top-right corner of your dashboard, click on the account icon. From the dropdown-menu, select **settings**.
   <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wisdomnwokocha/images/tmdb-settings.png" alt="account settings" />
   <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wisdomnwokocha/images/tmdb-settings.png" alt="account settings" />

3. On the **settings** menu, selet **API**. Scroll to the bottom to find the **API Read Access Token** and **API key**. You can copy any of the credentials to use for authentication.
   <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wisdomnwokocha/images/tmdb-credentials.png" alt="API credentials" />
   <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wisdomnwokocha/images/tmdb-credentials.png" alt="API credentials" />

<Info>
  Using the bearer token has an added benefit of being a single authentication process that you can
  use across both the v3 and v4 methods.
</Info>