SolarWinds API Token

Complete guide to generating and managing your SolarWinds Service Desk API token for Alert Bridge.

What is an API Token?

An API token is a secure authentication credential that allows Alert Bridge to:

• ✅ Create incidents in SolarWinds
• ✅ Update existing incidents
• ✅ Add comments to incidents
• ✅ Resolve incidents when alerts clear

Generating a Token

Step 1: Log into SolarWinds

1. Go to your SolarWinds Service Desk URL
2. Log in with administrator credentials

Step 2: Navigate to API Settings

Option A: Modern Interface

1. Click your profile (top-right)
2. Select “Developer” or “API”
3. Click “Tokens” or “API Access”

Option B: Classic Interface

1. Go to Setup → Account
2. Find “API Tokens” or “Integrations”
3. Click “Generate New Token”

Step 3: Create Token

1. Click “Generate New Token” or “Create Token”
2. Name: Cynteo Alert Bridge
3. Description: Azure Monitor integration
4. Permissions: Select required permissions (see below)
5. Click “Generate” or “Create”

Step 4: Copy Token

⚠️ Important: Copy the token NOW - you won’t see it again!

Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc...

Store securely in:

• Azure Key Vault (recommended)
• Password manager
• Secure note

Required Permissions

The API token needs these permissions:

Minimal Permissions

For maximum security, only grant:

- incidents:read
- incidents:create
- incidents:update
- comments:create

Token Format

Full Token

Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJodHRwczovL2FwaS5zYW1hbmFnZS5jb20iLCJpYXQiOjE2MTYxNjE2MTYsImV4cCI6MTY0NzY5NzYxNiwianRpIjoiYWJjMTIzIn0.signature

Token Parts

• Prefix: Bearer (with space)
• Type: JWT (JSON Web Token)
• Parts: Header.Payload.Signature

Configuring Alert Bridge

Option 1: Direct (Not Recommended)

Store token directly in Logic App configuration:

{
  "SOLARWINDS_API_TOKEN": "Bearer eyJ0eXAiOi..."
}

⚠️ Not recommended - Token visible in Logic App configuration

Option 2: Azure Key Vault (Recommended)

Store token in Key Vault:

Step 1: Add to Key Vault

az keyvault secret set \
  --vault-name your-key-vault \
  --name solarwinds-api-token \
  --value "Bearer eyJ0eXAiOi..."

Step 2: Grant Logic App Access

# Enable Managed Identity on Logic App
az logicapp identity assign \
  --name your-logic-app \
  --resource-group your-rg

# Grant Key Vault access
az keyvault set-policy \
  --name your-key-vault \
  --object-id <logic-app-identity-id> \
  --secret-permissions get

Step 3: Reference in Logic App

{
  "SOLARWINDS_API_TOKEN": "@Microsoft.KeyVault(SecretUri=https://your-vault.vault.azure.net/secrets/solarwinds-api-token/)"
}

Testing the Token

Via cURL

curl -X GET "https://api.samanage.com/incidents.json" \
  -H "X-Samanage-Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

Expected: List of incidents (200 OK)

Error 401: Token invalid or expired

Via PowerShell

$headers = @{
    "X-Samanage-Authorization" = "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
    "Accept" = "application/json"
}

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.samanage.com/incidents.json" -Headers $headers

Via Logic App Test

1. Deploy Logic App with token
2. Trigger a test alert
3. Check Logic App run history
4. Look for SolarWinds API errors

Token Security

Best Practices

1. Use Key Vault - Never store in plain text
2. Rotate Regularly - Update every 90 days
3. Minimal Permissions - Only grant what’s needed
4. Monitor Usage - Track API calls for anomalies
5. Separate Tokens - Different tokens for dev/prod

Rotation Schedule

Compromised Token

If token is compromised:

1. Immediately Revoke in SolarWinds
2. Generate New Token
3. Update Key Vault with new token
4. Restart Logic App
5. Review Audit Logs for unauthorized access

Token Management

Viewing Active Tokens

1. SolarWinds → API Settings
2. View list of active tokens
3. See:
   • Token name
   • Creation date
   • Last used date
   • Expiration (if set)

Revoking Tokens

1. Find token in list
2. Click “Revoke” or “Delete”
3. Confirm revocation
4. Token immediately invalidated

Updating Token in Alert Bridge

After generating new token:

If using Key Vault:

az keyvault secret set \
  --vault-name your-key-vault \
  --name solarwinds-api-token \
  --value "Bearer NEW_TOKEN_HERE"

Logic App automatically picks up new value within 5 minutes.

If using direct configuration:

1. Go to Logic App → Configuration
2. Update SOLARWINDS_API_TOKEN
3. Click Save
4. Logic App restarts

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized

Causes:

• Token expired
• Token revoked
• Token format incorrect (missing “Bearer “)
• Wrong SolarWinds instance URL

Solutions:

1. Generate new token
2. Verify token format: Bearer + token
3. Check SolarWinds base URL matches your instance

403 Forbidden

Causes:

• Token lacks required permissions
• User account disabled
• IP restrictions

Solutions:

1. Check token permissions in SolarWinds
2. Verify user account is active
3. Check API access restrictions

Token Not Found in Key Vault

Causes:

• Secret name mismatch
• Logic App lacks Key Vault permissions
• Secret deleted

Solutions:

1. Verify secret exists: az keyvault secret show
2. Check Logic App Managed Identity has access
3. Restore secret if deleted

API Limits

Be aware of SolarWinds API rate limits:

Alert Bridge automatically respects these limits with request queuing.

See Also

• SolarWinds Setup - Complete setup guide
• Security Overview - Security best practices
• Environment Variables - Configuration options

Questions? Contact support@cynteocloud.com