How do I implement session authentication for the Connect REST API?

Environment:

Connect REST API

Resolution:

Session authentication for the Connect REST API is primarily used with the Agent Browser UI (BUI) Extensibility Framework. BUI extensions can obtain a session token for authentication through the IExtensionGlobalContext.getSessionToken function. For details please see the IExtensionGlobalContext section within the Agent Browser UI (BUI) Extensibility Framework API documentation.

Alternatively, a session token can be obtained using a custom script. To get the session token - the script will use code documented here:

https://documentation.custhelp.com/euf/assets/devdocs/unversioned/Connect_PHP/Default.htm

Connect PHP API -> API access control and authentication -> Authenticating with AgentAuthenticator()

Use this URL as an example to return a session token (account username and password can be passed as arguments to the script rather - but in this example they are hard-coded):

https://[cp domain URL for site interface]/cgi-bin/[interface name with underscore].cfg/php/custom/session_token.php

Contents of session_token.php script located in /cgi-bin/[interface name with underscore].cfg/scripts/custom/src/session_token.php on server (in custom scripts directory in console File Manager):

<?

if (!defined('DOCROOT')) {
    define('DOCROOT', get_cfg_var('doc_root'));
}

require_once (DOCROOT . '/include/services/AgentAuthenticator.phph');
$account = AgentAuthenticator::authenticateCredentials('account username', 'account password');

print $account['session_id'];
?>

Then, using the Postman application as an example, this request will return the data for contact object with id 1:

GET
https://livetest-19c.custhelp.com/services/rest/connect/v1.3/contacts/1 

Authorization:
No Auth

Headers:

Key
authorization

Value
Session [the session token obtained from custom script]
 

For further details please see the Quick Start section within the Connect REST API documentation.