API keys_
Secure your application with Appwrite API Keys. Discover how to create and manage API keys to control access and enhance your application's security.
6 min read
API keys are secrets used by Appwrite Server SDKs and the Appwrite CLI to prove their identity. What can be accessed each API key is restricted by scopes instead of permissions.
It is a best practice to grant only the scopes you need to meet your project's goals to an API key. API keys should be treated as a secret. Never share the API key and keep API keys out of client applications.
Create API key
To create a new API key, open API Keys in the project sidebar and click Create API key.
You can then use the API key to initialize the Appwrite client in your server-side apps.
When adding a new API Key, you can choose which scopes to grant your application. If you need to replace your API Key, create a new key, update your app credentials and, once ready, delete your old key.
Manage API keys with a Server SDK
You can also manage API keys programmatically using a Server SDK. This requires an API key with the keys.read and keys.write scopes.
Creating API keys with the Project API is deprecated as of 17 August 2026. Create long-lived keys in the Appwrite Console. The Project API can list, update, and delete existing keys, and can issue ephemeral keys for short-lived access. Learn more in the changelog.
The keys.read and keys.write scopes are sensitive. An API key with keys.write can change the scopes of existing keys and delete them. Only assign these scopes to keys used in trusted, secure environments, and never expose them in client-side applications.
List API keys
Get an API key
Create an ephemeral key
Ephemeral keys are short-lived API keys that expire after a set duration, useful for temporary or single-session server access without managing a long-lived key. Pass the scopes to grant and a duration in seconds (maximum 3600). The response includes the generated secret and its expiration time.
Update an API key
Delete an API key
Scopes
When adding a new API key, you choose which scopes to grant. Scopes are grouped by service, matching the categories shown in the Appwrite Console.
Was this page helpful?
Share what worked or what we should fix. Once approved, our agents automatically apply suggested updates to the docs.