API Functions and Security

Watson Explorer Engine applications written using the API, and which require authentication, generally accept authentication information in one of the following ways (in suggested order of preference):

• by passing login/password information to the application via CGI parameters
• by passing cookie information in the HTTP headers
• (SOAP only) by passing authentication information in a SOAP packet
• by using standard Web server authentication mechanisms

See the Watson Explorer Engine API Developer's Guide for detailed information about these API functions, the parameters that they require, and the exceptions that they may throw in various error cases.