> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.hyperswitch.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.hyperswitch.io/integrations/prism/node/merchant-authentication-service/create-access-token.md).

# Create Access Token

## Overview

The `createAccessToken` method generates a short-lived authentication token for accessing payment processor APIs. Use this for temporary, secure access without exposing long-lived credentials.

**Business Use Case:** Your frontend needs to initialize a payment widget. Generate a temporary token with limited scope and short expiry for client-side use.

## Purpose

| Scenario           | Benefit                           |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| Frontend SDKs      | Secure client-side initialization |
| Delegated access   | Scoped tokens for third parties   |
| Session-based auth | Time-limited access               |

## Request Fields

| Field       | Type   | Required | Description                               |
| ----------- | ------ | -------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `scope`     | string | No       | Token scope (e.g., "payment:write")       |
| `expiresIn` | number | No       | Token lifetime in seconds (default: 3600) |

## Response Fields

| Field         | Type   | Description                          |
| ------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------ |
| `accessToken` | string | The token string to use in API calls |
| `tokenType`   | string | Bearer                               |
| `expiresIn`   | number | Seconds until expiry                 |
| `expiresAt`   | string | ISO 8601 expiry timestamp            |
| `statusCode`  | number | HTTP status code                     |

## Example

### SDK Setup

```javascript
const { MerchantAuthenticationClient } = require('hyperswitch-prism');

const authClient = new MerchantAuthenticationClient({
    connector: 'stripe',
    apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    environment: 'SANDBOX'
});
```

### Request

```javascript
const request = {
    scope: "payment:write",
    expiresIn: 3600
};

const response = await authClient.createAccessToken(request);
```

### Response

```javascript
{
    accessToken: "sk_test_xxx",
    tokenType: "Bearer",
    expiresIn: 3600,
    expiresAt: "2024-01-15T11:30:00Z",
    statusCode: 200
}
```

## Security Best Practices

* Use short expiry times (1 hour or less)
* Transmit only over HTTPS
* Never store tokens client-side long-term
* Implement token refresh logic

## Next Steps

* [createSessionToken](/integrations/prism/node/merchant-authentication-service/create-session-token.md) - Create session tokens for multi-step flows
* [Payment Service](/integrations/prism/node/payment-service.md) - Use tokens for payment operations


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