> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vital-mintlify-00d99d44.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Junction API

> Overview of the Junction API including production and sandbox environments, regional endpoints, authentication methods, and core API capabilities.

You use Junction API to:

* manage users and demographics information in your Team with the [Core API](/api-reference/user/create-user);
* manage user connections, pull ingested device data, inspect connection backfill statuses through the [Devices API](/wearables/connecting-providers/introduction);
* order lab tests, manage appointments and pull the results through the [Lab Testing API](/lab/overview/introduction); and
* aggregate ingested device data with the [Junction Sense API](/sense/overview).

<Info>
  For managing Team configuration and Org resources programmatically, see [Junction Management API](/api-details/junction-management-api).
</Info>

## Environments

Junction provides two Sandbox environments and two Production environments today:

| Environment        | Base URL                               | Team API Key Prefix |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------- | ------------------- |
| 🇺🇸 Production US | `https://api.us.junction.com/`         | `pk_us_*`           |
| 🇪🇺 Production EU | `https://api.eu.junction.com/`         | `pk_eu_*`           |
| 🇺🇸 Sandbox US    | `https://api.sandbox.us.junction.com/` | `sk_us_*`           |
| 🇪🇺 Sandbox EU    | `https://api.sandbox.eu.junction.com/` | `sk_eu_*`           |

<Note>
  If you are using a `*.tryvital.io` Base URL, they are still supported alongside `*.junction.com`.
</Note>

Sandbox environments are functionally identical to Production environments, except that:

1. Each Team can have only up to 50 Users in Sandbox;
2. You can create [Synthetic Device connections](/wearables/providers/test_data); and
3. You can [simulate and transition an order through its lifecycle](/lab/overview/sandbox).

## Authentication

Junction API accepts two team-scoped credential types — pick one per request.

| Credential                                                                                                | Lifetime                 | Header                          | Provisioned via                                                                                                                                                  |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Team API Key](/api-reference/org-management/team-api-keys/create-team-api-key)                           | Long-lived until revoked | `X-Vital-API-Key: <key>`        | Team Config page in the [Junction Dashboard](https://app.junction.com) or [Create Team API Key](/api-reference/org-management/team-api-keys/create-team-api-key) |
| [Team API Access Token](/api-reference/org-management/team-api-access-token/create-team-api-access-token) | Several minutes          | `Authorization: Bearer <token>` | Created programmatically via [Create Team API Access Token](/api-reference/org-management/team-api-access-token/create-team-api-access-token)                    |

### When to use a Team API Key

Choose a Team API Key when your system can safely store a pre-shared secret and you intend to issue separate team-scoped keys to your own divisions or environments. Keys are listed and rotated from the Team Config page in the [Junction Dashboard](https://app.junction.com), or programmatically through the Management API via [Create Team API Key](/api-reference/org-management/team-api-keys/create-team-api-key).

```bash cURL theme={null}
curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://api.us.junction.com/v2/providers' \
  --header 'X-Vital-API-Key: <YOUR-TEAM-API-KEY>'
```

### When to use a Team API Access Token

Choose a Team API Access Token when you are integrating Junction into a multi-tenant EMR or similar platform and need to act on behalf of many customer teams without provisioning and storing a Team API Key for each one. Mint a token on demand from your backend by calling the Management API endpoint [Create Team API Access Token](/api-reference/org-management/team-api-access-token/create-team-api-access-token) with your Management Key, then call Junction API with the returned token.

```bash cURL theme={null}
curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://api.us.junction.com/v2/providers' \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TEAM-API-ACCESS-TOKEN>'
```

<Warning>
  Tokens are short-lived (several minutes) and the Create Team API Access Token endpoint is rate limited. Cache and reuse each token until it expires rather than minting per request. When a Junction API call returns `401 Unauthorized`, mint a fresh token by calling the endpoint again, then retry the request.
</Warning>

<Note>
  A [Management Key](/api-details/junction-management-api) used by Junction Management API does not function as a Team API Key.
  However, you can provision Team API Keys and mint Team API Access Tokens through a Management Key.
</Note>

## Junction Mobile SDKs

[Junction Mobile SDKs](/wearables/sdks/) support two authentication methods:

| Scheme                                                                 | Authorization         | Recommended use case   |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------- |
| [Sign-In Token](/wearables/sdks/authentication#junction-sign-in-token) | User-scoped access    | Production mobile apps |
| [Team API Keys](/wearables/sdks/authentication#junction-team-api-keys) | Full Team data access | Proof-of-concept       |

Refer to the [Mobile SDK Authentication](/wearables/sdks/authentication) documentation for more information.