> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://old-docs.vantage6.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://old-docs.vantage6.ai/usage/running-analyses/python-client/authentication.md).

# Authentication

This page and the following pages introduce some minimal examples for administrative tasks that you can perform with our [Python client](/usage/running-analyses/python-client.md). We start by authenticating.

To authenticate, we create a config file to store our login information. We do this so we do not have to define the `server_url`, `server_port` and so on every time we want to use the client. Moreover, it enables us to separate the sensitive information (login details, organization key) that you do not want to make publicly available, from other parts of the code you might write later (e.g. on submitting particular tasks) that you might want to share publicly.

```python
# config.py

server_url = "https://MY VANTAGE6 SERVER" # e.g. https://petronas.vantage6.ai or 
                                          # http://localhost for a local dev server
server_port = 443 # This is specified when you first created the server
server_api = "" # This is specified when you first created the server

username = "MY USERNAME"
password = "MY PASSWORD"

organization_key = "FILEPATH TO MY PRIVATE KEY" # This can be empty if you do not want to set up encryption
```

Note that the `organization_key` should be a filepath that points to the private key that was generated when the organization to which your login belongs was first created (see [Creating an organization](/usage/running-analyses/python-client/organization.md)).

Then, we connect to the vantage 6 server by initializing a Client object, and authenticating

```python
from vantage6.client import Client
# Note: we assume here the config.py you just created is in the current directory.
# If it is not, then you need to make sure it can be found on your PYTHONPATH
import config

# Initialize the client object, and run the authentication
client = Client(config.server_url, config.server_port, config.server_api, verbose=True)
client.authenticate(config.username, config.password)

# Optional: setup the encryption, if you have an organization_key
client.setup_encryption(config.organization_key)
```

{% hint style="success" %}
Above, we have added `verbose=True` as additional argument when creating the Client(...) object. This will print much more information that can be used to debug the issue.
{% endhint %}


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://old-docs.vantage6.ai/usage/running-analyses/python-client/authentication.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.