In today’s world of digital finance, security isn’t just a feature, it’s the foundation. If you’ve ever tried creating keys for payment APIs like MTN Mobile Money (MoMo), you know the struggle of creating the api key and api user. Let’s talk about how I built a tool that does all that, so developers don’t have to go through that stress. Mobile money services have revolutionized financial inclusion across Africa, with MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) being one of the leading platforms. For developers integrating with the MTN MoMo API, managing API credentials securely is a critical first step. This article explores the architecture and implementation of the MTN MoMo API Key Generator, a specialized tool designed to streamline the credential generation process while following security best practices.

The Challenge

MTN MoMo is one of Africa’s most influential mobile money services. It empowers millions but the developer onboarding experience could use some love. When integrating with MTN MoMo API developers must understand how :

1. Create API Key and User with the service

2. Generate and securely store API keys

3. Format authentication credentials correctly

4. Test the validity of credentials before deployment

These steps can be error-prone when done manually, leading to integration delays or security vulnerabilities. The MTN MoMo API Key Generator addresses these challenges by providing an automated, user-friendly solution.

Features

1. Direct MTN MoMo API Integration

The application connects directly to the MTN MoMo Sandbox API to register real credentials:

// createAPIUser calls the MTN MoMo API to create an API user 

func createAPIUser(subscriptionKey string, callbackHost string) 
(string, error) {  
    apiUser := uuid.New().String()  
    url := "https://sandbox.momodeveloper.mtn.com/v1_0/apiuser"

    requestBody := map[string]string{  
        "providerCallbackHost": callbackHost,  
    }  

    req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")  
    req.Header.Set("Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key", subscriptionKey)

    req.Header.Set("X-Reference-Id", apiUser)  

    // Send the request and handle the response  
    // ...  
}

2. Base64 Authentication String Generation

   The system automatically creates the Base64 encoded authentication string required for API calls.

    authString := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", apiUser, apiKey)  
    base64Auth := base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString([]byte(authString))  
    resp.Base64Auth = base64Auth
   

3. Ready to Use Curl Test Command

   For credentials registered with MTN MoMo, the application generates a curl test command.

    testCommand := fmt.Sprintf(`  
    Test your credentials with this curl command:   
    curl --location --request POST 'https://sandbox.momodeveloper.mt
    n.com/collection/token/' \  
    --header 'Authorization: Basic %s' \  
    --header 'Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key: %s' \  
    --header 'Content-Type: application/json'  
    `, base64Auth, req.PrimaryKey)  
   
    resp.TestCommand = testCommand
   

The MTN MoMo API Key Generator started as a weekend project but turned into a real solution to solve my need and also your need. If you’re building payment tools for Africa or handling credential-heavy APIs elsewhere, this tool can save you time and effort.

Star or fork the repo here.
https://github.com/niiwade/Mtn-Momo-Api-User-and-Api-Key-Generator