---
title: "Create JSON Web Key"
method: POST
path: "/admin/keys/{set}"
tags: ["jwk"]
---

# Create JSON Web Key

`POST /admin/keys/{set}`

This endpoint is capable of generating JSON Web Key Sets for you. There are different strategies available, such as symmetric cryptographic keys (HS256, HS512) and asymmetric cryptographic keys (RS256, ECDSA). If the specified JSON Web Key Set does not exist, it will be created.

If the set already exists, the newly generated key is added to it and all existing keys are kept. This allows you to rotate keys: tokens signed with an older key in the set remain verifiable. Exception: when Ory Hydra is configured to use a Hardware Security Module (HSM), generating a key replaces the set, which then contains only the new key. To replace a set and all of its keys instead, use the `setJsonWebKeySet` operation (`PUT /admin/keys/{set}`).

A JSON Web Key (JWK) is a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data structure that represents a cryptographic key. A JWK Set is a JSON data structure that represents a set of JWKs. A JSON Web Key is identified by its set and key id. ORY Hydra uses this functionality to store cryptographic keys used for TLS and JSON Web Tokens (such as OpenID Connect ID tokens), and allows storing user-defined keys as well.

## Path parameters

- `set` string, required

## Request body

- CreateJsonWebKeySet — Create JSON Web Key Set Request Body
  - `alg` string, required — JSON Web Key Algorithm The algorithm to be used for creating the key. Supports `RS256`, `ES256`, `ES512`, `HS512`, and `HS256`.
  - `kid` string, required — JSON Web Key ID The Key ID of the key to be created.
  - `use` string, required — JSON Web Key Use The "use" (public key use) parameter identifies the intended use of the public key. The "use" parameter is employed to indicate whether a public key is used for encrypting data or verifying the signature on data. Valid values are "enc" and "sig".

## Response `201`

jsonWebKeySet

- JsonWebKeySet — JSON Web Key Set
  - `keys` JsonWebKey[] — List of JSON Web Keys The value of the "keys" parameter is an array of JSON Web Key (JWK) values. By default, the order of the JWK values within the array does not imply an order of preference among them, although applications of JWK Sets can choose to assign a meaning to the order for their purposes, if desired.
    - `alg` string, required — The "alg" (algorithm) parameter identifies the algorithm intended for use with the key. The values used should either be registered in the IANA "JSON Web Signature and Encryption Algorithms" registry established by [JWA] or be a value that contains a Collision- Resistant Name.
    - `crv` string
    - `d` string
    - `dp` string
    - `dq` string
    - `e` string
    - `k` string
    - `kid` string, required — The "kid" (key ID) parameter is used to match a specific key. This is used, for instance, to choose among a set of keys within a JWK Set during key rollover. The structure of the "kid" value is unspecified. When "kid" values are used within a JWK Set, different keys within the JWK Set SHOULD use distinct "kid" values. (One example in which different keys might use the same "kid" value is if they have different "kty" (key type) values but are considered to be equivalent alternatives by the application using them.) The "kid" value is a case-sensitive string.
    - `kty` string, required — The "kty" (key type) parameter identifies the cryptographic algorithm family used with the key, such as "RSA" or "EC". "kty" values should either be registered in the IANA "JSON Web Key Types" registry established by [JWA] or be a value that contains a Collision- Resistant Name. The "kty" value is a case-sensitive string.
    - `n` string
    - `p` string
    - `q` string
    - `qi` string
    - `use` string, required — Use ("public key use") identifies the intended use of the public key. The "use" parameter is employed to indicate whether a public key is used for encrypting data or verifying the signature on data. Values are commonly "sig" (signature) or "enc" (encryption).
    - `x` string
    - `x5c` string[] — The "x5c" (X.509 certificate chain) parameter contains a chain of one or more PKIX certificates [RFC5280]. The certificate chain is represented as a JSON array of certificate value strings. Each string in the array is a base64-encoded (Section 4 of [RFC4648] -- not base64url-encoded) DER [ITU.X690.1994] PKIX certificate value. The PKIX certificate containing the key value MUST be the first certificate.
    - `y` string

## Other responses

- `default` — errorOAuth2

---

[API](https://skmtc.net/ory/apis/ory-hydra.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.net/ory/apis/ory-hydra/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc-service-staging.skmtc.workers.dev/v1/apis/ory/ory-hydra/versions/a302a90a0e8a/schema)