# Create an API key

> Page: https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/post-v1-api-keys. Index of every page: https://docs.flung.dev/llms.txt

To rotate a key: create the new one, deploy it, then revoke the old one.

`POST /v1/api-keys`

## TL;DR

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does it do? | Create an API key. |
| What does it need? | An API key or an OAuth access token. |
| What does it take? | A JSON body with the fields below, and `idempotency-key` in a header. |
| What does it return? | Status 201 with a body of type [`CreatedApiKey`](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/schemas.md#createdapikey). |
| In the SDK? | `flung.apiKeys.create()` |
| What can go wrong? | `401` Missing, unknown, revoked or expired API key; `403` This key cannot manage API keys; `422` The request failed validation; `429` Too many requests for this credential; wait for `retry-after` seconds. Every failure has the same [error shape](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/errors.md). |

## What it does

To rotate a key: create the new one, deploy it, then revoke the old one. The new key has full access.

## Example

**curl**

```bash
curl -X POST 'https://api.flung.dev/v1/api-keys' \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $FLUNG_API_KEY" \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  --data '{
  "name": "Production server"
}'
```

**TypeScript**

```ts
import { Flung } from '@flung.dev/sdk'

const flung = new Flung({ apiKey: process.env.FLUNG_API_KEY! })
const result = await flung.apiKeys.create({
  name: 'Production server',
})
```

**fetch**

```js
const response = await fetch('https://api.flung.dev/v1/api-keys', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.FLUNG_API_KEY}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Idempotency-Key': crypto.randomUUID(),
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    name: 'Production server',
  }),
})
if (!response.ok) throw new Error((await response.json()).error.message)
const result = await response.json()
```

A successful answer looks like this:

```json
{
  "id": "key_aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
  "name": "string",
  "prefix": "flung_sk_live_abcd",
  "scopes": [
    "string"
  ],
  "lastUsedAt": "2026-11-01T09:00:00.000Z",
  "expiresAt": "2026-11-01T09:00:00.000Z",
  "revokedAt": "2026-11-01T09:00:00.000Z",
  "createdAt": "2026-11-01T09:00:00.000Z",
  "key": "string"
}
```

## Header parameters

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `idempotency-key` | `string` | no | Any unique string, such as a UUID. A retry with the same key and body within 24 hours gets the first answer instead of running again. |

## Request body

The body has the type an object, with the fields below.

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `name` | `string` | yes | at least 1 character; at most 100 characters. |
| `expiresAt` | `string` | no | When the key stops working. Omit for a key that does not expire. |

## Responses

| Status | Meaning | Body |
|---|---|---|
| 201 | The key, shown once. | [`CreatedApiKey`](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/schemas.md#createdapikey) |
| 401 | Missing, unknown, revoked or expired API key. | [`Error`](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/schemas.md#error) |
| 403 | This key cannot manage API keys. | [`Error`](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/schemas.md#error) |
| 422 | The request failed validation. | [`Error`](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/schemas.md#error) |
| 429 | Too many requests for this credential; wait for `retry-after` seconds. | [`Error`](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/schemas.md#error) |

## Response body

A 201 answer has the type [`CreatedApiKey`](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/schemas.md#createdapikey).

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `id` | `string` | yes |  |
| `name` | `string` | yes |  |
| `prefix` | `string` | yes | The start of the key, to tell keys apart. |
| `scopes` | `string[]` | yes |  |
| `lastUsedAt` | `string \| null` | yes |  |
| `expiresAt` | `string \| null` | yes |  |
| `revokedAt` | `string \| null` | yes |  |
| `createdAt` | `string` | yes |  |
| `key` | `string` | yes | The secret key. Shown only in this response; store it now. |

## See also

| Doc | Why |
|---|---|
| [API reference](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api.md) | Every endpoint |
| [Schemas](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/schemas.md) | Every request and response type |
| [Errors](https://docs.flung.dev/reference/api/errors.md) | Every error code and what to do about it |