FAQ

Have a question? You've come to the right place

We've done our best to compile a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions.
They are broken up by category and listed below.

API Keys & Authentication

How does CloudMade authenticate clients?

There are two ways for clients to authenticate to CloudMade – API Key and Token based. API Key based authentication can only be used with Web Maps Studio and with our Specialist Tools when they are used from a web or desktop environment. Token based authentication is used with the CloudMade iPhone SDK other mobile SDKs and any other mobile application.

What are API keys and how is they used?

An API key is a string of characters that belongs to a particular application or website. API keys are used by CloudMade to monitor usage of our different services.

Are there different types of API keys?

There are two types of API keys: Web and Mobile. A web key is issued to developers building on Web Maps Studio, or choosing to use Specialist Tools on the web. A mobile key is issued to developers building on CloduMade’s iPhone SDK, other Mobile SDKs, Navi Studio or using Specialist Tools from a mobile device or the mobile web.

How much does an API key cost?

API keys are free of charge.

What are User Tokens and how are they used?

User Tokens are unique identifiers for a particular user of an application or website. User Tokens are used by CloudMade to monitor the volumes or unique users using different services. Developers can find out more about User Tokens.

How do I know whether to use a User Token or an API Key to authenticate

If you are using a CloudMade library or SDK like Web Maps API or the iPhone SDK, authentication is handled automatically. You just pass your API key to the library or SDK and it does the rest. If you are using Specialist Tools with a third party library like Route-Me to access CloudMade’s services directly via HTTP, you need to pass an API key and a token with each Tile, Geocoding, Route or other request you pass to the server. You can read more about User Tokens.

I am using Route-Me – does it support token authentication?

Yes – you can find out more on the Route-Me site.

Can I assume that I will get the same token ID when I request it a second time, provided the same User ID ?

Yes, you will always get the same token for the unique user id.

Should the token ID be stored persistently on the device, or must it be retrieved each time when the application starts ?

Both these options are availabe. The same token will be always responded for the unique user id. So it is up to you to decide to store the token on the device or to retrieve it each time.

I use CloudMade iPhone SDK/Route-me library. What should I do with token-based authorization?

If you are using a CloudMade library or SDK like our iPhone SDK, you don’t need to worry about token authorization as the SDK handles the process for you. To find out if the library or SDK you use supports token based authorization take a look at this list of supported libraries and SDKs

When trying to use my API key I got “Forbidden, no token in query” message.

You have registered a mobile API key. All mobile applications must use token based authorization, please take a look at the Authentication pages on the Developer Zone

Should I register a separate API key for subdomains, urls?

If you register API key for http://domain.com, the API key will also work for http://sub.domain.com, http://domain/url.

I didn’t receive an activation email. What should I do?

Your problem could happen because:

  • If there were spam filter problems, so please check your junk folder
  • If no email is in junk folder, than just try to sign in with your account and you should get “Account is still pending” screen and we will resent an activation email to you.If you still have problem, please contact support@cloudmade.com.

Do I need to register a URL to use your Mobile Maps API even if the application is not running in a browser?

As you register a URL for a new API key it says “Provide a full URL where you want to provide services”:

  • For dev work on localhost, you should enter the URL of a website where you are planning to deploy your app to eventually.
  • If you dont know the full path where the app will be running, then enter just the top level domain.
  • If you dont know which domain your app will be running on, have a guess at which domain you think it will be running on.
  • If you are just experimenting, and have no idea which domain you will be deploying to, then simply enter any URL which will help us to identify you or your company.
  • This will be sufficient to get you started with a working API key. When you deploy your application to a website, then you may need to register the correct URL (swap in a different API key)

Still looking for an answer?

If you have a question that is not listed here or need further assistance,
please, contact us via e-mail: support@cloudmade.com

Monetize your game with Sponsored Locations