> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.maia.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connector authentication

export const m_runner = "Maia runner";

export const designer = "Designer";

export const maia = "Maia";

Many connectors need permission to access data in the third-party service they connect to. This section of the documentation explains how to acquire credentials from a specific service and authorize the corresponding connector to use them in {designer}.

The steps required depend on the connector and the authentication method the underlying service supports. Read the guide for the connector you're using, listed in the left navigation.

***

## Authentication methods

Connectors authenticate with a third-party service in one of the following ways:

* **OAuth:** You create an OAuth connection in your project, then authorize it against the third-party service. Read [OAuth](/docs/guides/oauth) for the general setup steps common to all OAuth connections.
* **API token or key:** You generate a token or key in the third-party service, store it in a secret, and select that secret in the connector's properties.
* **Certificate or wallet file:** You download a certificate or wallet file from the third-party service and reference it in the connector's properties.

<Note>
  Some services support more than one authentication method. Where this is the case, the corresponding guide explains which method it covers.
</Note>

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## Secrets

API tokens, keys, and passwords must be stored as a secret rather than entered directly into a connector's properties. Read [Secrets and secret definitions](/docs/guides/secrets-and-secret-definitions) for more information on creating and storing secrets before you follow a connector's authentication guide.

***

## IP allowlisting

Some services restrict access to requests coming from a trusted IP address. Where this applies, a connector's authentication guide tells you which IP address to allowlist and where to add it in the third-party service. Read [Network access and IP allowlist requirements](/docs/security/network-access-and-ip-allowlist-requirements) for the {m_runner} IP ranges relevant to your deployment model.