Access and authentication

Below, you'll find a detailed explanation of how to create API-keys and enable Multi Factor Authentication for the users in your Realtime Register account.

Manage API keys

Multi Factor Authentication

API keys

We are pleased to introduce API keys as a new authentication method for the Realtime Register API and IsProxy. By using API keys you don’t need to store any account passwords in your applications anymore. Users with the required permission can manage their own API keys in the renewed profile/account section in the Domain Manager.

To manage API keys you need the permissions MANAGE_API_KEY. If you have tweaked your permission setup you might need to assign this permission to the users that require API access.

Multiple API keys can be created per user so you can assign each application their own key.

Create API keys

Delete API keys

Create API keys

Take note: API keys can only be created by an administrator user. !!Once an API key is created, password based authentication to connect to the API is no longer possible!!

Select the user you wish to create a/multiple API key(s) for. Once selected click 'API keys'

On the next page, you'll find an overview of the already active API-keys for the selected user. If none are created, the overview will be empty.

Take note: you only can obtain the API-key when creating it, if an API-key is lost, a new one will have to be created.

To create a new API-key, submit a description, determine if API or ISproxy or access is necessary for the new API-key you're creating. Selecting both is an option as well and then hit 'Create API-key'.

The API-key will appear on your screen. Make sure you save the API-key, once the pop up containing the API-key is closed you will not be able to see it again.

The newly created API-key now appears in the list of API-keys for the user you've created it for.

You've now succesfully created an API key.

Take note: Multiple API-keys per user can be created. Just follow the steps above to create another.

Delete API keys

To delete an API key, first select the user you wish to delete an API-key for. Once selected, click 'API-keys' to open the API keys overview for the user you've selected.

Click on the 'delete' button next to the API-key you wish to delete.

Confirm the delete by clicking 'I understand, delete this API-key'.

Take note: If any applications are still using the API-key you're about to delete, the application will no longer have access to our systems.

You've now successfully deleted an API-key.

Multi Factor Authentication (MFA)

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security system that requires more than one method of authentication from independent categories of credentials to verify the user’s identity for a login or other transaction.

Multi-factor authentication combines two or more independent credentials: what the user knows (password), what the user has (security token) and what the user is (bio-metric verification). The goal of MFA is to create a layered defense and make it more difficult for an unauthorized person to access a target such as a physical location, computing device, network or database. If one factor is compromised or broken, the attacker still has at least one more barrier to breach before successfully breaking into the target.

Multi Factor authentication is now implemented on the Realtime Register systems. To activate it for your users, follow the instructions below.

Take note: there are two user cases for implementing MFA on your Realtime Register account.

New Realtime Register customers

Existing Realtime Register customers

New Realtime Register customers

Take note: When your a new customer to Realtime Register (Accounts created after 04-30-2020) you're required by policy to enable MFA for (all) your user(s). You will not be able to use any functionality on our registrar platform unless you first configure multi factor authentication. As a result of the requirement to setup MFA, navigating to any of the menu options on the left side of the Domain Manager will redirect you back to the configuration page to setup MFA. Once MFA is setup for your user(s), the menu options will regain their normal functionality.

You can implement MFA by either using an Authenticator app or a security key.

Authenticator app

Security key

Authenticator app

Take note: Once MFA is enabled, (legacy) password based authentication is no longer an option to access the API and IsProxy. To access to the API with a user that has MFA enabled, use API keys. You can refer to the API-keys section above for more information.

By Default, your account holds only one user, the "admin" user. You're going to configure MFA for this user and from there on out you can force MFA for the other users your going to add. For instructions on how to force MFA for other users you're going to create, refer to the Add a user section in the Users Knowledge base article.

Take note: The below instruction from here on out can be used for other users than your admin user as well.

Click the green "Activate authenticator app" button to start enabling MFA to your Realtime Register account.

A screen with recovery codes pops up, download or copy the recovery codes before continuing to the next step. The recovery codes enable you to login to your account in the event you cannot access your account with MFA. Once saved, click "Next".

Take note: If another MFA method already is active, you will not be prompted with the recovery code screen.

Take note: Treat your recovery codes with the same level of attention as you would your password! We recommend saving them with a password manager such as Lastpass, 1Password, or Keeper.

In the next step, you will pair an authenticator app. Just pop up one of the supported authenticator apps on your phone and follow the respective procedure from your app of choice to enable the authenticator app for use with your Realtime Register account. If the QR-code is for some reason not scan-able or not readable by your method of choice, click the "unable to scan" button complete this step manually.

Take note: Supported authenticator apps are the Google Authenticator or Authy app available in the app store on your device. Alternatively, you can also install a browser plugin to act as authenticator app.

You've now successfully activated an authenticator app to use for MFA for the admin user of your Realtime Register account and can use it to login.

Take note: If you for any reason lose access to your MFA device or app that is connected to your admin user, you can always use one of the recovery keys to login. Once all recovery keys have been used you will no longer have access to your account. If this occurs, contact Realtime Register support through support@realtimeregister.com to gain access to your account again.

Security key

Take note: The below instruction from here on out can be used for other users than your admin user as well.

To setup a security key as MFA, click the green "Setup security key" button.

A screen with recovery codes pops up, download or copy the recovery codes before continuing to the next step. The recovery codes enable you to login to your account in the event you cannot access your account with MFA. Once saved, click "Next".

Take note: If another MFA method already is active, you will not be prompted with the recovery code screen.

Take note: Treat your recovery codes with the same level of attention as you would your password! We recommend saving them with a password manager such as Lastpass, 1Password, or Keeper.

Submit the name for your security key and click the green "Register security key" button.

You'll now be prompted with the message to tap your security key or insert your security key into the USB port of your device. Insert your choice of key and the process will complete automatically.

Take note: when using krypton for example a push message will be send to your mobile device that is paired to your browser. Accept the message and you will setup the security key.

You've now successfully added a security key to use for MFA for the admin user of your Realtime Register account and use it to login.

Take note: If you for any reason lose access to your security key that is connected to your admin user, you can always use one of the recovery keys to login. Once all recovery keys have been used you will no longer have access to your account. If this occurs, contact Realtime Register support through support@realtimeregister.com to gain access to your account again.

Known issues

The below example originates from a successfully paired krypton security key. Currently, krypton has an issue that causes the Windows security warning to remain on screen until you dismiss it from your screen. This will have no influence on the quality and security of your security key, but is a mere visual glitch which krypton is working on to fix.

Existing Realtime Register customers

Take note: For existing customers there is a choice in whether to force MFA right away or keep using password based authentication until we force MFA for all existing customers. We advise to implement MFA as soon as possible as it adds an extra layer of security to the already available option to whitelist IP-addresses for acces in combination with password based authentication.

!!Once MFA is enabled, (legacy) password based authentication is no longer an option to access the API and IsProxy. To access to the API with a user that has MFA enabled, use API keys. You can refer to the API-keys section above for more information!!

Take note: Depending on the fact whether MFA has been forced for your user, you will either see only the recommendation to enable MFA for your user or the requirement obliged by your administrator to enable MFA for your account.

In case your account administrator has required you to force MFA, navigating to any of the menu options on the left side of the Domain Manager will redirect you back to the configuration page to setup MFA. Once MFA is setup for your user, the menu options will regain their normal functionality.

The advise to implement MFA is prompted on your login in case not already activated for your user. For information on how to force MFA for other users, refer to the Update user section in the Users Knowledge base article.

In addition, the MFA management for your user can be accessed through the menu option Account > Users as well. Just click on your user and on the right side of your screen click the "manage" button.

Last but not least, you can open the MFA management for your user by opening your profile and again clicking on the "Manage" button.

You can implement MFA by either using an Authenticator app or a security key.

Authenticator app

Security key