Authentication
— Open by default — keys only when you want more headroom.
Pluid is read-only and read-public. The FREE tier requires no account, no login, and no key. API keys exist purely to raise your rate limits and attribute usage — they never unlock write access, because Pluid never exposes writes.
The FREE Tier (No Login)
Send a request to any /api/v1 route with no credentials. You are identified by IP and rate-limited accordingly. This is the fastest way to prototype.
curl https://pluid.net/api/v1/slotUsing an API Key
Pass your key in the x-api-key header. When present, rate limiting is scoped to the key rather than your IP — useful behind shared egress or serverless functions.
curl https://pluid.net/api/v1/balance/5tzFkiKscXHK5ZXCGbXZxdw7gTjjD1mBwuoFbhUvuAi9 \
-H "x-api-key: pluid_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"import { PluidClient } from "@pluid/sdk";
const pluid = new PluidClient({ apiKey: process.env.PLUID_API_KEY });process.env on a server and never ship them in client bundles. For browser apps, proxy reads through your own backend.The Tier Ladder
Higher tiers raise your request ceiling and burst window. $PLUID holders unlock elevated limits without a subscription — see $PLUID Token.
| Tier | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Free | no key | Per-IP limiter. Full route + receipt access. Best for prototyping. |
| Build | x-api-key | Per-key limiter with a higher sustained rate and per-key usage analytics. |
| Scale | x-api-key | Production throughput, larger burst window, priority mesh routing. |
| Staked | $PLUID | Limits scale with held $PLUID — no monthly plan required. |
Identifying Your Requests
Every response carries rate-limit headers so you can self-throttle. They reflect whichever identity applied to the request — key if present, otherwise IP.
| Header | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| X-RateLimit-Limit | int | Requests allowed in the current window. |
| X-RateLimit-Remaining | int | Requests left in the current window. |
| X-RateLimit-Reset | epoch s | When the window resets. |
- Rate Limits & Tiers — exact numbers and 429 handling.
- $PLUID Token — staking for elevated limits.