---
title: "Create API Key"
description: "Create a new API key for programmatic access"
openapi: "POST /api/v1/user/api-keys"
---

<Warning>
The full key is only returned once at creation. Store it immediately in a secrets manager or environment variable — it cannot be retrieved again.
</Warning>

## Authentication

This endpoint requires a valid user session token. If you do not yet have an API key, obtain a session token by logging in first and pass it as a `Bearer` token in the `Authorization` header.

**Step 1 — Log in to get a session token**

```bash
curl -X POST https://your-dograh-instance/api/v1/auth/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email": "you@example.com", "password": "your-password"}'
```

The response contains a `token` field. Use it in the next step.

**Step 2 — Create an API key**

```bash
curl -X POST https://your-dograh-instance/api/v1/user/api-keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "my-api-key"}'
```

Once you have an API key, you can use `X-API-Key: <key>` in place of `Authorization: Bearer` for all subsequent requests.