API Key
A credential identifying the caller on every request - and, handled properly, the boundary of what that caller can reach.
An API key is a secret string presented on each request, usually as a bearer token in an Authorization header, that tells the provider who is calling. Because it travels with every call, the operational questions are about handling rather than cryptography: keys belong in a secret manager or environment configuration, never in source control or a client-side bundle, and they need a rotation path that does not require downtime.
The scoping matters as much as the secrecy. A service key limited to the streams one system consumes contains the damage from a leak; one key shared across a whole firm turns a single exposure into a full compromise and makes it impossible to tell which system did what. Keys authenticate the caller, not the transport - what protects the traffic itself is the encryption the session negotiates.
Real-time data, at edge speed.
A live evaluation measures EdgeOrigin against your coverage requirements: decision-ready real-time data, delivery latency into your systems, and record-level provenance.