---
title: "Create API key"
method: POST
path: "/v2/keys.createKey"
tags: ["keys"]
---

# Create API key

`POST /v2/keys.createKey`

Create a new API key for user authentication and authorization.

Use this endpoint when users sign up, upgrade subscription tiers, or need additional keys. Keys are cryptographically secure and unique to the specified API namespace.

**Important**: The key is returned only once. Store it immediately and provide it to your user, as it cannot be retrieved later.

**Common use cases:**
- Generate keys for new user registrations
- Create additional keys for different applications
- Issue keys with specific permissions or limits

**Required Permissions**

Your credential needs one of:
- `api.*.create_key` (create keys in any API)
- `api.<api_id>.create_key` (create keys in specific API)
- `unkey:v1:<workspace_id>:keyspaces/*#create_key` (create keys in any keyspace)
- `unkey:v1:<workspace_id>:keyspaces/<keyspace_id>#create_key` (create keys in a specific keyspace)

## Request body

- V2KeysCreateKeyRequestBody
  - `apiId` string, required — The API namespace this key belongs to. Keys from different APIs cannot access each other.
  - `prefix` string — Adds a visual identifier to the beginning of the generated key for easier recognition in logs and dashboards. The prefix becomes part of the actual key string (e.g., `prod_xxxxxxxxx`). Avoid using sensitive information in prefixes as they may appear in logs and error messages.
  - `name` string — Sets a human-readable identifier for internal organization and dashboard display. Never exposed to end users, only visible in management interfaces and API responses. Avoid generic names like "API Key" when managing multiple keys for the same user or service.
  - `byteLength` integer — Controls the cryptographic strength of the generated key in bytes. Higher values increase security but result in longer keys that may be more annoying to handle. The default 16 bytes provides 2^128 possible combinations, sufficient for most applications. Consider 32 bytes for highly sensitive APIs, but avoid values above 64 bytes unless specifically required.
  - `externalId` string — Links this key to a user or entity in your system using your own identifier. Returned during verification to identify the key owner without additional database lookups. Essential for user-specific analytics, billing, and multi-tenant key management. Use your primary user ID, organization ID, or tenant ID for best results. Accepts letters, numbers, underscores, dots, and hyphens for flexible identifier formats.
  - `meta` object — Stores arbitrary JSON metadata returned during key verification for contextual information. Eliminates additional database lookups during verification, improving performance for stateless services. Avoid storing sensitive data here as it's returned in verification responses. Large metadata objects increase verification latency and should stay under 10KB total size.
  - `roles` string[] — Assigns existing roles to this key for permission management through role-based access control. Roles must already exist in your workspace before assignment. During verification, all permissions from assigned roles are checked against requested permissions. Roles provide a convenient way to group permissions and apply consistent access patterns across multiple keys.
  - `permissions` string[] — Grants specific permissions directly to this key without requiring role membership. Wildcard permissions like `documents.*` grant access to all sub-permissions including `documents.read` and `documents.write`. Direct permissions supplement any permissions inherited from assigned roles.
  - `expires` integer — Sets when this key automatically expires as a Unix timestamp in milliseconds. Verification fails with code=EXPIRED immediately after this time passes. Omitting this field creates a permanent key that never expires. Avoid setting timestamps in the past as they immediately invalidate the key. Keys expire based on server time, not client time, which prevents timezone-related issues. Essential for trial periods, temporary access, and security compliance requiring key rotation.
  - `credits` KeyCreditsData — Credit configuration and remaining balance for this key.
    - `remaining` integer, nullable, required — Number of credits remaining (null for unlimited).
    - `refill` KeyCreditsRefill — Configuration for automatic credit refill behavior.
      - `interval` 'daily' | 'monthly', required — How often credits are automatically refilled.
      - `amount` integer, required — Number of credits to add during each refill cycle.
      - `refillDay` integer — Day of the month for monthly refills (1-31). Only required when interval is 'monthly'. For days beyond the month's length, refill occurs on the last day of the month.
  - `ratelimits` RatelimitRequest[] — Defines time-based rate limits that protect against abuse by controlling request frequency. Unlike credits which track total usage, rate limits reset automatically after each window expires. Multiple rate limits can control different operation types with separate thresholds and windows. Essential for preventing API abuse while maintaining good performance for legitimate usage.
    - `name` string, required — The name of this rate limit. This name is used to identify which limit to check during key verification. Best practices for limit names: - Use descriptive, semantic names like 'api_requests', 'heavy_operations', or 'downloads' - Be consistent with naming conventions across your application - Create separate limits for different resource types or operation costs - Consider using namespaced names for better organization (e.g., 'files.downloads', 'compute.training') You will reference this exact name when verifying keys to check against this specific limit.
    - `limit` integer, required — The maximum number of operations allowed within the specified time window. When this limit is reached, verification requests will fail with `code=RATE_LIMITED` until the window resets. The limit should reflect: - Your infrastructure capacity and scaling limitations - Fair usage expectations for your service - Different tier levels for various user types - The relative cost of the operations being limited Higher values allow more frequent access but may impact service performance.
    - `duration` integer, required — The duration for each ratelimit window in milliseconds. This controls how long the rate limit counter accumulates before resetting. Common values include: - 1000 (1 second): For strict per-second limits on high-frequency operations - 60000 (1 minute): For moderate API usage control - 3600000 (1 hour): For less frequent but costly operations - 86400000 (24 hours): For daily quotas Shorter windows provide more frequent resets but may allow large burst usage. Longer windows provide more consistent usage patterns but take longer to reset after limit exhaustion.
    - `autoApply` boolean, required — Whether this ratelimit should be automatically applied when verifying a key.
  - `enabled` boolean — Controls whether the key is active immediately upon creation. When set to `false`, the key exists but all verification attempts fail with `code=DISABLED`. Useful for pre-creating keys that will be activated later or for keys requiring manual approval. Most keys should be created with `enabled=true` for immediate use.
  - `recoverable` boolean — Controls whether the plaintext key is stored in an encrypted vault for later retrieval. When true, allows recovering the actual key value using keys.getKey with decrypt=true. When false, the key value cannot be retrieved after creation for maximum security. Only enable for development keys or when key recovery is absolutely necessary.

## Response `200`

Successfully created a new API key. The response includes both the keyId (for reference in your system) and the full key string. IMPORTANT: This is the only time the complete key is available - it cannot be retrieved later. You must securely provide this key to your end user immediately.

- V2KeysCreateKeyResponseBody
  - `meta` Meta, required — Metadata object included in every API response. This provides context about the request and is essential for debugging, audit trails, and support inquiries. The `requestId` is particularly important when troubleshooting issues with the Unkey support team.
    - `requestId` string, required — A unique id for this request. Always include this ID when contacting support about a specific API request. This identifier allows Unkey's support team to trace the exact request through logs and diagnostic systems to provide faster assistance.
  - `data` V2KeysCreateKeyResponseData, required
    - `keyId` string, required — The unique identifier for this key in Unkey's system. This is NOT the actual API key, but a reference ID used for management operations like updating or deleting the key. Store this ID in your database to reference the key later. This ID is not sensitive and can be logged or displayed in dashboards.
    - `key` string, required — The full generated API key that should be securely provided to your user. SECURITY WARNING: This is the only time you'll receive the complete key - Unkey only stores a securely hashed version. Never log or store this value in your own systems; provide it directly to your end user via secure channels. After this API call completes, this value cannot be retrieved again (unless created with `recoverable=true`).

## Other responses

- `400` — Bad request
- `401` — Unauthorized
- `403` — Forbidden
- `404` — Not found
- `429` — Too Many Requests
- `500` — Internal server error

---

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