---
products:
  - api key
---

import { CodeTabs, CodeTab } from "docs-ui"

export const metadata = {
  title: `Publishable API Keys with Sales Channels`,
}

# {metadata.title}

In this document, you’ll learn what publishable API keys are and how to use them with sales channels.

## Publishable API Keys with Sales Channels

A publishable API key, provided by the API Key Module, is a client key scoped to one or more sales channels.

When sending a request to a Store API route, you must pass a publishable API key in the header of the request:

```bash
curl http://localhost:9000/store/products \
  x-publishable-api-key: {your_publishable_api_key}
```

The Medusa application infers the associated sales channels and ensures that only data relevant to the sales channel are used.

---

## How to Create a Publishable API Key?

To create a publishable API key, either use the [Medusa Admin](!user-guide!/settings/developer/publishable-api-keys) or the [Admin API Routes](!api!/admin#publishable-api-keys).

---

## Access Sales Channels in Custom Store API Routes

If you create an API route under the `/store` prefix, you can access the sales channels associated with the request's publishable API key using the `publishable_key_context` property of the request object.

For example:

```ts
import { MedusaStoreRequest, MedusaResponse } from "@medusajs/framework/http"
import { getVariantAvailability } from "@medusajs/framework/utils"

export async function GET(
  req: MedusaStoreRequest,
  res: MedusaResponse
) {
  const query = req.scope.resolve("query")
  const sales_channel_ids = req.publishable_key_context.sales_channel_ids

  res.json({
    sales_channel_id: sales_channel_ids[0],
  })
}
```

In this example, you retrieve the scope's sales channel IDs using `req.publishable_key_context.sales_channel_ids`, whose value is an array of IDs.

You can then use these IDs based on your business logic. For example, you can retrieve the sales channels' details using [Query](!docs!/learn/fundamentals/module-links/query).

<Note title="Tip">

Notice that the request object's type is `MedusaStoreRequest` instead of `MedusaRequest` to ensure the availability of the `publishable_key_context` property.

</Note>