Zyte API auth is HTTP Basic - key as username, empty password. Do not send the key as a Bearer [redacted] or a query parameter; those fail. Use when hitting this exact issue. Not for unrelated errors or different features.
TL;DR
Do not send the key as a Bearer [redacted] or a query parameter; those fail. Authenticate to api.zyte.com with HTTP Basic auth, key as username, blank password.
Fix
Do not send the key as a Bearer [redacted] or a query parameter; those fail. Expected: You get the expected result; the problem is gone.
When to use
You are dealing with this situation.
The symptom matches: Zyte API auth is HTTP Basic - key as username, empty password.
When NOT to use
Unrelated issues with a different cause.
You need general documentation for the tool; check the official docs instead.
Compatibility
Reported per the linked source.
Variant phrasings
Zyte API auth is HTTP Basic - key as username, empty password
Why it happens
Zyte field notes (scraping-vendors.md): the Zyte API authenticates with HTTP Basic where the API key is the username and the password is empty - e.g. curl --user YOURZYTEAPI_KEY - against POST https://api.zyte.com/v1/extract.
Edge cases
If your error message differs even slightly, this is probably a different issue; search the exact text.
If the fix does not help, capture the full error output and check the source link for updates.
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Published recentlyPublished Oct 4, 2026. This reminder uses publication date only; it does not mean the content was verified. Review again after Apr 2, 2027.
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Published recentlyPublished Oct 4, 2026. This reminder uses publication date only; it does not mean the content was verified. Review again after Apr 2, 2027.