---
title: "Authenticate and start a session (deprecated)"
method: POST
path: "/handshake"
tags: ["Authentication"]
---

# Authenticate and start a session (deprecated)

`POST /handshake`

When you do not have an API key you can request a session token using handshake which can then be used as your authentication token.

## Query parameters

- `auth` string
- `user` string
- `timestamp` integer
- `version` string

## Response `200`

Session info or error

- HandshakeResponse
  - `auth` string, nullable
  - `streamtoken` string, nullable
  - `api` string
  - `session_expire` union
    - integer
    - string
  - `update` string
  - `add` string
  - `clean` string
  - `max_song` integer
  - `max_album` integer
  - `max_artist` integer
  - `max_video` integer
  - `max_podcast` integer
  - `max_podcast_episode` integer
  - `songs` integer
  - `albums` integer
  - `artists` integer
  - `genres` integer
  - `playlists` integer
  - `searches` integer
  - `playlists_searches` integer
  - `users` integer
  - `catalogs` integer
  - `videos` integer
  - `podcasts` integer
  - `podcast_episodes` integer
  - `shares` integer
  - `licenses` integer
  - `live_streams` integer
  - `labels` integer
  - `username` string

## Other responses

- `400` — Ampache API error response payload.

## Changes

- **2026-07-21** `2ff18e50dcc1` — 30 info
  - added the optional property `add` to the response with the `200` status
  - added the optional property `albums` to the response with the `200` status
  - added the optional property `api` to the response with the `200` status
  - added the optional property `artists` to the response with the `200` status
  - …26 more
- **2026-07-20** `531d5bc1344e` — 1 info
  - `query` request parameter `auth` was deprecated
- **2026-07-17** `9abb9bf6d3bf` — 2 info
  - endpoint deprecated
  - removed the non-success response with the status `400`
- **2026-07-17** `aff89ca1eeff` — 1 info
  - endpoint reactivated
- **2026-06-25** `7ed7a764efd9` — 1 info
  - added the non-success response with the status `400`

[Full history](https://skmtc.dev/ampache/apis/ampache-rest-api/changes/handshake/post.md)

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/ampache/apis/ampache-rest-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/ampache/apis/ampache-rest-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc-service-production.skmtc.workers.dev/v1/apis/ampache/ampache-rest-api/revisions/2ff18e50dcc1/schema)