---
type: api
title: Login to ECE
description: Authenticates against available users.
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4493/api/doc/cloud-enterprise/operation/operation-login
resource: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4493/api/doc/cloud-enterprise/operation/operation-login
products:
  - Elastic Cloud Enterprise
---

# Login to ECE

## Paths

- `POST` `/users/auth/_login`

## Description

Authenticates against available users.

## Authentication

- Basic: `Authorization: Basic <credentials>`
- Api key: `Authorization: <value>`

## Request body

The login request

`application/json`

- `username` (string) — required
  The username part of the login request
- `password` (string) — required
  The plain text password part of the login request
- `login_state` (object) — optional
  Configure how the API responds after a successful login.
  - `path` (string) — optional
    The path to which to redirect post login - if not specified then no redirect is performed, instead 200 is returned with the token in the body

## Responses

#### `200`

Login successful, returns the token in the body (if 'login_state.path' not specified)

`application/json`

- `token` (string)
  The authorization bearer token that you use in subsequent requests
- `session_expiration_time` (string · format: date-time)
  The time that the session token will expire
#### `302`

Redirects to '/sso/token#BEARER_TOKEN?state=LOGIN_STATE' with the fragment containing a bearer token  (if 'login_state.path' is specified)

`application/json`

Type: `object`

#### `401`

The supplied authentication is invalid. (code: `root.unauthenticated`)

`application/json`

- `errors` (object[])
  A list of errors that occurred in the failing request
  - `code` (string)
    A structured code representing the error type that occurred
  - `message` (string)
    A human readable message describing the error that occurred
  - `fields` (string[])
    If the error can be tied to a specific field or fields in the user request, this lists those fields
##### Response headers

- `x-cloud-error-codes` (enum)
  The error codes associated with the response

#### `501`

The administrator needs to configure the authentication cluster. (code: `authc.no_authentication_cluster`)

`application/json`

- `errors` (object[])
  A list of errors that occurred in the failing request
  - `code` (string)
    A structured code representing the error type that occurred
  - `message` (string)
    A human readable message describing the error that occurred
  - `fields` (string[])
    If the error can be tied to a specific field or fields in the user request, this lists those fields
##### Response headers

- `x-cloud-error-codes` (enum)
  The error codes associated with the response

#### `502`

The authentication cluster failed to process the request. The response body contains details about the error. (code: `authc.authentication_cluster_error`)

`application/json`

- `errors` (object[])
  A list of errors that occurred in the failing request
  - `code` (string)
    A structured code representing the error type that occurred
  - `message` (string)
    A human readable message describing the error that occurred
  - `fields` (string[])
    If the error can be tied to a specific field or fields in the user request, this lists those fields
##### Response headers

- `x-cloud-error-codes` (enum)
  The error codes associated with the response

## Code examples

#### curl

```curl
curl -X POST "${API_URL}/users/auth/_login" \
  -u "${USERNAME}:${PASSWORD}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "username": "string",
    "password": "string"
  }'
```