API Keys API

Overview

The API Keys API provides endpoints for creating and managing API keys - long-lived authentication credentials for programmatic access. API keys are ideal for scripts, automation, and integrations that need persistent authentication without interactive login.

v2.8.0 adds API key management with secure bcrypt hashing and Kong gateway integration for API key→JWT exchange.

Use Cases

CLI Tools: Command-line interfaces and developer tools
Scripts & Automation: Cron jobs, shell scripts, automated tasks
CI/CD Integration: Build pipelines, deployment automation
Third-Party Integrations: External systems that need API access
Development & Testing: Local development without SSO

API Key vs Service Principal

API Keys
Service Principals

User-scoped credentials

Tied to a specific user account
Inherit user’s permissions
Limited to 5 keys per user
Expire after configurable period (default: 365 days)
Ideal for: CLI tools, scripts, personal automation

curl https://api.yourdomain.com/message \
  -H "X-API-Key: ak_abc123..."

Base URL

https://api.yourdomain.com/api/v1/api-keys

Authentication

All endpoints require user authentication:

Authorization: Bearer {token}
Users can only manage their own API keys

Endpoints

POST /

Create a new API key for the current user. Creates a cryptographically secure API key with bcrypt hashing. Maximum 5 keys per user - revoke an existing key before creating more. Request Body:

name

string

required

Human-readable name for the API key (e.g., “Production CLI Tool”)

expires_days

integer

default:365

Days until expiration (default: 365 days)

Request Example:

curl -X POST https://api.yourdomain.com/api/v1/api-keys/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Production CLI Tool",
    "expires_days": 365
  }'

Response:

{
  "key_id": "key_abc123def456",
  "name": "Production CLI Tool",
  "created": "2025-10-29T10:00:00Z",
  "expires_at": "2026-10-29T10:00:00Z",
  "api_key": "ak_live_abc123def456xyz789...",
  "message": "API key created successfully. Save it securely - it will not be shown again."
}

Save the api_key securely - it will not be shown again! Store it in a password manager or environment variable. The plain-text key is hashed with bcrypt before storage.

Status Codes:

201

Created

API key created successfully

400

Bad Request

Invalid input or exceeded key limit

{
  "error": "validation_error",
  "message": "Maximum 5 API keys allowed per user. Revoke an existing key first."
}

401

Unauthorized

Not authenticated

GET /

List all API keys for the current user. Returns metadata for all keys (name, created, expires, last_used). Does not include the actual API keys. Request Example:

curl https://api.yourdomain.com/api/v1/api-keys/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..."

Response:

[
  {
    "key_id": "key_abc123def456",
    "name": "Production CLI Tool",
    "created": "2025-10-29T10:00:00Z",
    "expires_at": "2026-10-29T10:00:00Z",
    "last_used": "2025-10-29T14:30:00Z"
  },
  {
    "key_id": "key_xyz789",
    "name": "Development Script",
    "created": "2025-09-15T08:00:00Z",
    "expires_at": "2026-09-15T08:00:00Z",
    "last_used": null
  }
]

Status Codes:

200

Success

API keys retrieved successfully

401

Unauthorized

Not authenticated

POST //rotate

Rotate an API key. Generates a new API key while keeping the same key_id. The old key is invalidated immediately. Path Parameters:

key_id

string

required

Unique identifier of the API key to rotate

Request Example:

curl -X POST https://api.yourdomain.com/api/v1/api-keys/key_abc123def456/rotate \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..."

Response:

{
  "key_id": "key_abc123def456",
  "new_api_key": "ak_live_newkey123...",
  "message": "API key rotated successfully. Update your client configuration."
}

Update your client configuration immediately! The old API key is invalidated and will no longer work. Save the new new_api_key securely.

Status Codes:

200

Success

API key rotated successfully

401

Unauthorized

Not authenticated

404

Not Found

API key not found or not owned by current user

{
  "error": "not_found",
  "message": "API key 'key_abc123def456' not found"
}

DELETE /

Revoke an API key. Permanently deletes the API key. This action cannot be undone. Any clients using this key will immediately lose access. Path Parameters:

key_id

string

required

Unique identifier of the API key to revoke

Request Example:

curl -X DELETE https://api.yourdomain.com/api/v1/api-keys/key_abc123def456 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..."

Response: No content (HTTP 204) Status Codes:

204

No Content

API key revoked successfully

401

Unauthorized

Not authenticated

404

Not Found

API key not found

POST /validate

Validate API key and return JWT (internal endpoint for Kong plugin).

Internal Endpoint: This endpoint is called by the Kong API gateway plugin and is not intended for direct client use. It is excluded from the public API schema.

This endpoint validates an API key and issues a JWT for the associated user. It implements the API key→JWT exchange pattern described in ADR-0034. Headers:

X-API-Key

string

required

API key to validate

Request Example:

curl -X POST https://api.yourdomain.com/api/v1/api-keys/validate \
  -H "X-API-Key: ak_live_abc123def456xyz789..."

Response:

{
  "access_token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9...",
  "expires_in": 900,
  "user_id": "user:alice",
  "username": "alice"
}

Status Codes:

200

Success

API key validated, JWT issued

400

Bad Request

Missing X-API-Key header

401

Unauthorized

Invalid or expired API key

500

Internal Server Error

Failed to issue JWT

Using API Keys

1. Create API Key

# Login as user to get JWT
curl -X POST https://api.yourdomain.com/auth/login \
  -d '{"username": "alice", "password": "password123"}'

# Create API key
curl -X POST https://api.yourdomain.com/api/v1/api-keys/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $USER_TOKEN" \
  -d '{"name": "My CLI Tool", "expires_days": 365}'

# Save the api_key from response
export API_KEY="ak_live_abc123def456xyz789..."

2. Use API Key (Direct)

# Make API requests with X-API-Key header
curl https://api.yourdomain.com/message \
  -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" \
  -d '{"query": "Hello!"}'

3. Use API Key (via Kong Gateway)

When Kong gateway is configured with the API key plugin:

# Kong validates API key and exchanges for JWT automatically
curl https://api.yourdomain.com/message \
  -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" \
  -d '{"query": "Hello!"}'

# Behind the scenes:
# 1. Kong intercepts request
# 2. Calls /api/v1/api-keys/validate with X-API-Key
# 3. Receives JWT token
# 4. Forwards request with Authorization: Bearer <JWT>

4. Environment-Based Configuration

# .env file
API_KEY=ak_live_abc123def456xyz789...

# Python script
import os
import httpx

api_key = os.getenv("API_KEY")
response = httpx.post(
    "https://api.yourdomain.com/message",
    headers={"X-API-Key": api_key},
    json={"query": "Process data"}
)

Security Best Practices

Key Storage

Never hardcode API keys in code

Store in environment variables: export API_KEY=ak_live_...
Use .env files (add to .gitignore)
Use secret managers in production: HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager
Password managers for personal keys: 1Password, LastPass

Never:

Commit API keys to Git
Store in plain text files
Share via email or chat
Embed in client-side code

Key Rotation

Rotate keys regularly

Quarterly rotation for production keys
Immediately after security incidents
When team members leave
If key may have been exposed

Zero-downtime rotation:

Create new API key
Update client configuration
Test with new key
Revoke old key

Expiration Strategy

Set appropriate expiration periods

Short-lived (30-90 days): Development, testing
Medium-lived (180-365 days): Production tools, CLI
Long-lived (1-2 years): Stable integrations (with rotation)

Monitor expiration and renew before expiry:

# List keys and check expiration
curl https://api.yourdomain.com/api/v1/api-keys/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Least Privilege

API keys inherit user permissions

Create dedicated user accounts for automation
Grant minimum required permissions
Use service principals for broader access
Monitor API key usage in audit logs

Key Limits & Monitoring

5 key limit per user

Encourages key hygiene and rotation
Prevents accumulation of unused keys
Revoke unused keys regularly

Monitor usage:

Track last_used timestamp
Alert on dormant keys (unused > 30 days)
Review keys quarterly
Revoke keys for decommissioned tools

Kong Gateway Integration

When using Kong API Gateway with the custom API key plugin:

Kong receives request with X-API-Key

Client sends request with X-API-Key header to Kong gateway

Kong validates API key

Kong calls /api/v1/api-keys/validate (internal endpoint) with the API key

Backend issues JWT

Backend validates API key and returns JWT token if valid

Kong forwards with JWT

Kong replaces X-API-Key header with Authorization: Bearer <JWT> and forwards to backend

Backend processes request

Backend receives JWT-authenticated request and processes normally

This pattern provides:

✅ Long-lived credentials (API keys) for clients
✅ Short-lived tokens (JWT) for internal services
✅ Centralized API key validation
✅ Standard JWT-based authorization throughout system

See ADR-0034: API Key JWT Exchange for design details.

Comparison with Other Auth Methods

Feature	API Keys	Service Principals	JWT Tokens	Sessions
Lifespan	Days-Years	Permanent	Minutes-Hours	Hours-Days
Use Case	Scripts, CLI	Services	User auth	Web apps
Identity	User	Machine	User	User
Rotation	Manual	Manual	Automatic	N/A
Limit	5 per user	Unlimited	N/A	Configurable
Revocation	Immediate	Immediate	Wait for expiry	Immediate

API Key Management Guide

Complete API key setup and usage guide

Service Principals API

Machine-to-machine authentication

Authentication API

User authentication endpoints

Kong Integration

Kong API gateway configuration

Secure & Scalable: API keys use bcrypt hashing and integrate seamlessly with Kong gateway!

API Documentation

MCP Protocol

Overview

Use Cases

API Key vs Service Principal

Base URL

Authentication

Endpoints

POST /

GET /

POST //rotate

DELETE /

POST /validate

Using API Keys

1. Create API Key

2. Use API Key (Direct)

3. Use API Key (via Kong Gateway)

4. Environment-Based Configuration

Security Best Practices

Kong Gateway Integration

Comparison with Other Auth Methods

API Key Management Guide

Service Principals API

Authentication API

Kong Integration

API Documentation

MCP Protocol

​Overview

​Use Cases

​API Key vs Service Principal

​Base URL

​Authentication

​Endpoints

​POST /

​GET /

​POST //rotate

​DELETE /

​POST /validate

​Using API Keys

​1. Create API Key

​2. Use API Key (Direct)

​3. Use API Key (via Kong Gateway)

​4. Environment-Based Configuration

​Security Best Practices

​Kong Gateway Integration

​Comparison with Other Auth Methods

​Related Documentation

API Key Management Guide

Service Principals API

Authentication API

Kong Integration

Overview

Use Cases

API Key vs Service Principal

Base URL

Authentication

Endpoints

POST /

GET /

POST //rotate

DELETE /

POST /validate

Using API Keys

1. Create API Key

2. Use API Key (Direct)

3. Use API Key (via Kong Gateway)

4. Environment-Based Configuration

Security Best Practices

Kong Gateway Integration

Comparison with Other Auth Methods

Related Documentation