---
title: Manage API Overview
description: Programmatically manage projects, clients, and references in your OpenPanel organization using the Manage API.
---

## Overview

The Manage API provides programmatic access to manage your OpenPanel resources including projects, clients, and references. This API is designed for automation, infrastructure-as-code, and administrative tasks.

## Authentication

The Manage API requires a **root client** for authentication. Root clients have organization-wide access and can manage all resources within their organization.

To authenticate with the Manage API, you need:
- A client with `type: 'root'`
- Your `clientId` and `clientSecret`

For detailed authentication information, see the [Authentication](/docs/api/authentication) guide.

Include the following headers with your requests:
- `openpanel-client-id`: Your OpenPanel root client ID
- `openpanel-client-secret`: Your OpenPanel root client secret

## Base URL

All Manage API requests should be made to:

```
https://api.openpanel.dev/manage
```

## Available Resources

The Manage API provides CRUD operations for three resource types:

### Projects

Manage your analytics projects programmatically:
- **[Projects Documentation](/docs/api/manage/projects)** - Create, read, update, and delete projects
- Automatically creates a default write client when creating a project
- Supports project configuration including domains, CORS settings, and project types

### Clients

Manage API clients for your projects:
- **[Clients Documentation](/docs/api/manage/clients)** - Create, read, update, and delete clients
- Supports different client types: `read`, `write`, and `root`
- Auto-generates secure secrets on creation (returned once)

### References

Manage reference points for your analytics:
- **[References Documentation](/docs/api/manage/references)** - Create, read, update, and delete references
- Useful for marking important dates or events in your analytics timeline
- Can be filtered by project

## Common Features

All endpoints share these common characteristics:

### Organization Scope

All operations are scoped to your organization. You can only manage resources that belong to your organization.

### Response Format

Successful responses follow this structure:

```json
{
  "data": {
    // Resource data
  }
}
```

For list endpoints:

```json
{
  "data": [
    // Array of resources
  ]
}
```

### Error Handling

The API uses standard HTTP response codes:

- `200 OK` - Request successful
- `400 Bad Request` - Invalid request parameters
- `401 Unauthorized` - Authentication failed
- `404 Not Found` - Resource not found
- `429 Too Many Requests` - Rate limit exceeded

## Rate Limiting

The Manage API implements rate limiting:
- **20 requests per 10 seconds** per client
- Rate limit headers included in responses
- Implement exponential backoff for retries

## Use Cases

The Manage API is ideal for:

- **Infrastructure as Code**: Manage OpenPanel resources alongside your application infrastructure
- **Automation**: Automatically create projects and clients for new deployments
- **Bulk Operations**: Programmatically manage multiple resources
- **CI/CD Integration**: Set up projects and clients as part of your deployment pipeline
- **Administrative Tools**: Build custom admin interfaces

## Security Best Practices

1. **Root Clients Only**: Only root clients can access the Manage API
2. **Store Credentials Securely**: Never expose root client credentials in client-side code
3. **Use HTTPS**: Always use HTTPS for API requests
4. **Rotate Credentials**: Regularly rotate your root client credentials
5. **Limit Access**: Restrict root client creation to trusted administrators

## Getting Started

1. **Create a Root Client**: Use the dashboard to create a root client in your organization
2. **Store Credentials**: Securely store your root client ID and secret
3. **Make Your First Request**: Start with listing projects to verify authentication

Example:

```bash
curl 'https://api.openpanel.dev/manage/projects' \
  -H 'openpanel-client-id: YOUR_ROOT_CLIENT_ID' \
  -H 'openpanel-client-secret: YOUR_ROOT_CLIENT_SECRET'
```

## Next Steps

- Read the [Projects documentation](/docs/api/manage/projects) to manage projects
- Read the [Clients documentation](/docs/api/manage/clients) to manage API clients
- Read the [References documentation](/docs/api/manage/references) to manage reference points