# Authentication

The way to provide these credentials depends on the type of app that you're developing. ShopBase supports two different types of apps: public apps and private apps.

### Public apps <a href="#public-apps" id="public-apps"></a>

A public app can interact with the ShopBase API on behalf of multiple stores, as long as the app has been granted explicit permission by each merchant who installs it.

You can [create a public app](/build-an-app/making-your-first-request/authentication/public-apps.md) from your [Partner Dashboard](https://accounts.shopbase.com/partners).

### Private apps <a href="#private-apps" id="private-apps"></a>

Private apps can interact with the ShopBase API on behalf of only one particular store. These apps authenticate with ShopBase through basic HTTP authentication. The required credentials must be generated from the ShopBase admin of the store that you want to connect with your app.

&#x20;To learn more about how authentication works for private apps, see [*Private authentication*](/build-an-app/making-your-first-request/authentication/private-apps.md).


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