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Creating Endpoints

Endpoints are the core of x402 Studio. They turn your APIs into paid services that accept crypto payments automatically.

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Endpoint Types

Pay-Per-Request

Charge a fixed price for each API call. Best for:
  • High-value API responses
  • Compute-intensive operations
  • Premium data access

Credit-Based

Sell credit packs upfront. Best for:
  • High-volume APIs
  • Subscription-like access
  • Lighter per-call pricing

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Pricing Limits

All prices must be at least 0.01 USDC. This applies to:
  • Pay-per-request pricing
  • Credit package prices
  • Agentic access pricing
Prices below this minimum will be rejected by both the dashboard and API.

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Creating a New Endpoint

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Step 1: Navigate to Endpoints

Go to Dashboard → Endpoints and click New Endpoint.

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Step 2: Basic Information

FieldDescription
NameA descriptive name for your endpoint
DescriptionWhat this endpoint does (shown to users)
Origin URLYour actual API endpoint URL

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Step 3: Set Your Payout Address

Enter the wallet address where you want to receive payments: 
0x742d35Cc6634C0532925a3b844Bc9e7595f2bD87
⚠️ Double-check this address. Payments are irreversible once sent.

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Origin Protection (API Key Security)

Important: When you create an endpoint, x402 Studio generates an Origin Protection Key (API Key). This key is used by the x402 Gateway to authenticate requests to your origin server. Without proper API key validation, your endpoint will not accept payments. The gateway performs a health check before allowing payments, and if your origin returns a 401/403 error, the payment button will be disabled.

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How It Works

  1. When you create an endpoint, an API key is generated and shown once
  2. Add this key to your server’s environment variables (e.g., X402_API_KEY)
  3. Your server must validate incoming requests using this key
  4. The x402 Gateway sends the key in the X-API-Key header

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Server-Side Validation Examples

// Node.js / Express
app.use((req, res, next) => {
  const apiKey = req.headers['x-api-key'];
  if (apiKey !== process.env.X402_API_KEY) {
    return res.status(401).json({ error: 'Unauthorized' });
  }
  next();
});
Public Endpoints: If you don’t want to require API key validation (e.g., your API is already public), you can disable the “Require API Key” toggle when creating the endpoint. However, this means anyone who discovers your origin URL can access it without payment.

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Testing Your Endpoint

After creation, test that everything works: 
# Get the 402 challenge
curl https://api.x402layer.cc/api/public/endpoints/your-slug

# Expected: 402 Payment Required with payment details

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Managing Endpoints

From the Dashboard, you can:
  • Edit – Update pricing, origin URL, or settings
  • Pause – Temporarily disable the endpoint
  • Delete – Permanently remove the endpoint
  • View Analytics – See payment history and usage stats

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🤖 AI Integration Helper

Don’t know how to use your API key? After creating an endpoint, you’ll see a purple card with a “Copy AI Integration Prompt” button. Click it to copy a pre-written prompt, then paste it into any AI assistant:
  • Cursor – Paste in chat to generate integration code
  • ChatGPT / Claude – Get step-by-step integration help
  • GitHub Copilot – Use as context for code suggestions
💡 This is the easiest way to integrate x402 payments into your project with zero coding knowledge!