---
title: "Authenticate a site with an Acquia DAM"
date: "2026-03-24T08:10:37+00:00"
summary: "Securely connect your website to Acquia DAM. Learn the authentication process for seamless digital asset management."
image:
type: "page"
url: "/acquia-dam/authenticate-site-acquia-dam"
id: "d6282d35-e404-4966-b224-57cd153d1673"
---

To use Acquia DAM with a Drupal site, you must complete two levels of authentication:

1.  **Site authentication**: Connect the Drupal site to your Acquia DAM instance with a secure API access token.
2.  **User authentication**: Allow individual Drupal users to authorize with Acquia DAM. This allows them to browse and select assets.

Both are required for a fully functional integration.

For instructions on how to create the API access token, visit [Generating the API access token](/acquia-dam/generate-api-access-token "Generate the API access token").

Authenticate the Drupal site with Acquia DAM
--------------------------------------------

Site authentication allows your Drupal site to communicate with Acquia DAM with the API access token you generated in the Acquia DAM portal.

### Prerequisites

*   You have generated an API access token in Acquia DAM and stored it securely.
*   You know your Acquia DAM domain, for example, `https://yourcompany.acquiadam.com`.

To authenticate your site:

1.  Log in to your Drupal site as an administrator.
2.  In the administrative menu, go to **Configuration > Media > Acquia DAM**, or navigate directly to the following: `/admin/config/acquia-dam`. 
    
    ![Acquia-dam_site-authentication](https://acquia.widen.net/content/4be16d7b-144e-447f-94ab-1bad15403454/web/43a36_acquia-dam-authentication-form.png)
    
3.  In the **API access** **token** field, enter the access token that you [generated and copied from Acquia DAM](/acquia-dam/generate-api-access-token "Generate the API access token").
4.  In the **Acquia DAM domain** field, enter your Acquia DAM domain.
5.  Select **Authenticate Site**.

After the request completes, the Acquia DAM configuration page displays a status message that indicates whether the site authentication succeeded or failed.

### Verify and troubleshoot site authentication

*   On success, you should see a confirmation message that the site is authenticated with Acquia DAM. You can now proceed to configure image styles, metadata, and other module settings.
*   If authentication fails, check the following:
    *   **Access token**
        *   Confirm that you have pasted the entire token with no extra spaces.
        *   Verify that the token has not been removed or expired in Acquia DAM.
    *   **Acquia DAM domain**
        *   Confirm that the domain matches your Acquia DAM instance exactly.
        *   Use the format indicated in the field description.
    *   **Permissions**
        *   Ensure that the user account associated with the token has the appropriate permissions in Acquia DAM.
    *   **Network connectivity**
        *   Check that your Drupal environment can reach the Acquia DAM domain (no firewall or proxy-blocking outbound requests).

If problems persist, visit the [troubleshooting checklist](/acquia-dam/troubleshooting-checklist-0 "Troubleshooting checklist") in the Support and resources section.

Authenticate a Drupal user with Acquia DAM
------------------------------------------

User authentication allows individual Drupal users to authorize access to Acquia DAM under their own account. This is required for users who need to browse and select Acquia DAM assets within the Drupal Media Library.

To authenticate a user:

1.  Log in to your Drupal application.
2.  Navigate to your user profile page. By default, this is: `/user`.
3.  In your profile, click the **Acquia DAM** and then click the **Authorize** to authenticate with Acquia DAM and follow prompts in the authorization flow. 
    
4.  A new tab opens and loads the DAM. Once you are logged in, the system requests permission to allow the integration. Select **Allow**. 
    
    ![Venn diagram with overlapping circles and access prompt for Acquia DAM Drupal Module. Buttons: "Do not allow" and "Allow."](https://acquia.widen.net/content/c85799ad-125a-42f5-b144-77bcb5f99349/web/ka0Pb000000CZwT00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005LvhL.png)
    

  
After the authorization completes, the user can browse and select Acquia DAM assets in supported Drupal interfaces such as the Media Library, subject to their permissions in Acquia DAM.

### Verify and troubleshoot user authentication

If a user cannot see expected assets or receives authorization errors:

*   Confirm that site authentication has been completed successfully at `/admin/config/acquia-dam`.
*   Ask the user to return to the Acquia DAM tab on their profile and click Authorize again to refresh their authorization.
*   Verify that the user’s account in Acquia DAM has permission to view the assets they expect to see.

For more information on authentication behavior and permissions, visit the [troubleshooting checklist](/node/96566) in the support and resources section.