> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.2checkout.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.2checkout.com/channel-manager-api/channel-manager-api/api-6.0/soap-6.0/authentication.md).

# Authentication

Use the **login** method for the authentication process in the 2Checkout system.

## Parameters

<table><thead><tr><th width="146.2000732421875">Parameter</th><th>Type / Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><code>merchantCode</code></td><td><strong>Required (string)</strong><br>Your merchant identification code.</td></tr><tr><td><code>date</code></td><td><strong>Required (string)</strong><br>GMT ISO Date format (e.g. 2010-01-01 12:13:14)</td></tr><tr><td><code>hash</code></td><td><strong>Required (string)</strong><br>Calculated HMAC_SHA256 signature based on <code>merchantCode</code> and <code>date</code>, using your secret key.</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Request parameters

To create the HMAC\_SHA256 source string use your merchant code and the date of the request, prefixing them with the length in bytes of each respective value, along with your account’s secret key (for UTF-8 characters the length in bytes might be longer than the string length).&#x20;

For example:

| Parameter                                                                                        | Type / Description                                                   |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `merchantCode`                                                                                   | <p><strong>Your merchant account code.</strong><br>8AVANGATE</p>     |
| `date`                                                                                           | <p><strong>2010-05-13 12:12:12</strong><br>192010-05-13 12:12:12</p> |
| **HMAC source string**                                                                           | 8AVANGATE192010-05-13 12:12:12                                       |
| **Secret key**                                                                                   | SECRET\_KEY                                                          |
| **Calculated HMAC\_SHA256 signature** based on `MerchantCode` and `Date`, using your secret key: | bf763db7d333e9c3038698cf59ada3e6                                     |

### Request sample

```php
<?php

$host   = "https://api.2checkout.com";

$merchantCode = "YOURCODE123";
//your account's merchant code available in the 'System settings' area of the cPanel:
//https://secure.2checkout.com/cpanel/account_settings.php

$key          = "SECRET_KEY";
//your account's secret key available in the 'System settings' area of the cPanel:
//https://secure.2checkout.com/cpanel/account_settings.php

$now          = gmdate('Y-m-d H:i:s'); //GMT date format)
$algo = "sha256";
$string = strlen($merchantCode) . $merchantCode . strlen($now) . $now;
$hash = hash_hmac($algo, $string, $key);

try {
    $client = new SoapClient($host . "/soap/6.0/?wsdl", array(
        'location' => $host . "/soap/6.0/",
        "stream_context" => stream_context_create(array(
            'ssl' => array(
                'verify_peer' => false,
                'verify_peer_name' => false
            )
        ))
    ));
    $sessionID = $client->login($merchantCode, $now, $hash, $algo);
    echo("Auth token: {$sessionID}" . PHP_EOL);
}
catch (SoapFault $e) {
    echo "Authentication: " . $e->getMessage() . PHP_EOL;
    exit;
}
```

## Response parameters

<table><thead><tr><th width="128.2000732421875">Parameter</th><th>Type / Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><code>sessionID</code></td><td><strong>String</strong><br>Session identifier, the output of the <strong>Login</strong> method. Include <code>sessionID</code> into all your requests. 2Checkout throws an exception if the values are incorrect. The <code>sessionID</code> expires in 10 minutes.</td></tr></tbody></table>


---

# 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 by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://docs.2checkout.com/channel-manager-api/channel-manager-api/api-6.0/soap-6.0/authentication.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

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.