Personal access tokens are the preferred way for third party applications and scripts to
Personal access tokens are the preferred way for third party applications and scripts to
authenticate with the [GitLab API][api], if using [OAuth2](../../api/oauth2.md) is not practical.
authenticate with the [GitLab API][api], if using [OAuth2](../../api/oauth2.md) is not practical.
You can also use them to authenticate against Git over HTTP. They are the only
You can also use personal access tokens to authenticate against Git over HTTP or SSH. They must be used when you have [Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)][2fa] enabled. Authenticate with a token in place of your password.
accepted method of authentication when you have
[Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)][2fa] enabled.
Once you have your token, [pass it to the API][usage] using either the
To make [authenticated requests to the API][usage], use either the `private_token` parameter or the `Private-Token` header.
`private_token` parameter or the `Private-Token` header.
The expiration of personal access tokens happens on the date you define,
The expiration of personal access tokens happens on the date you define,