The namespace feature, which can be accessed and edited in the Apps section of your Account Dashboard, helps protect your Xweather API credentials from unauthorized applications.
The namespace field tells our system precisely who can and can not use your credentials. When an unauthorized application requests data with your credentials, the request is rejected and returns an HTTP 403 error.
Locating API credentials and namespace options
Log into your account from the home page. Click on the Apps tab to find all the tools necessary for managing your applications. Note the copy-to-clipboard button for both the client ID and client secret.
Editing an existing application
Within the Apps tab, you should already have one application titled Demo with the wildcard character (*) as your namespace.
To update the title and namespace, hit the edit icon on the right side of the screen. An overlay prompt will appear. After editing the Application Name and Application Namespace fields, hit Update Application. Only requests from this namespace will be allowed to use this ID / Secret combination. As our caching system updates, it may take up to 30 minutes for changes to existing applications to take effect.
Creating new applications
Click the New Application button in the top right corner of the Apps page. This screen will look similar to the screen for editing your app name and namespace. Enter your new app information and hit Create App. Unlike with updates to existing applications, new applications are ready to roll immediately.
Each application you create will have a new client secret, but your client ID will remain the same for all apps to provide metrics at the app level. Depending on your namespace setup, one set of credentials may not work with your other applications.
Deleting applications
Suppose you are terminating an app and no longer need the id/secret combination associated with it. In that case, you can delete it by hitting the Trash icon associated with that particular app. A prompt will appear with an “Are you sure?” overlay. Be certain before deleting your app - Once deleted, there is no way to recover the id/secret combination.
App metrics
Metrics are provided based on each application you have registered. The Usage tab breaks down each application’s usage over various time frames to isolate each application and understand your data usage distribution.
Tips for use
Wildcards
Wildcards are useful if you have multiple subdomains. For example, let’s say we want to put a map on www.xweather.com and wx.xweather.com. You aren’t required to create various applications for both sites, so you can put an asterisk in place of the subdomain, the default setting for your Demo Application.
Multiple domains
If you have different websites with different domains but don’t want separate applications, we allow multiple domains for a single application. To add domains, separate them using commas:
Now, both www.xweather.com and www.noaa.gov can use the same API credentials. Please be sure not to include carriage returns between domains, as this will not work.
Unlimited applications
We do not limit the number of applications you can add to your account. Usage limits are summed up from all combined applications.
Compromised API credentials
If you believe your API credentials have been compromised, try editing a specific application's namespace. If that doesn’t help, delete the existing application and create a new one. You will also need to update the app that uses these API credentials. If you believe you are still experiencing unauthorized usage of your API credentials, contact our Technical Support team at support@xweather.com.
