How secure are the generated API keys?

Keys are generated using the browser's cryptographically secure random number generator, giving them extremely high entropy and unpredictability.

Should I add a prefix to my API keys?

Yes - prefixes like sk_live or pk_test help you identify key type and environment at a glance, which is a common practice used by major API providers.

Can I use this for production secrets?

Yes, the keys are cryptographically random and suitable for production use. Always store them securely (e.g. in an environment variable or secrets manager) and never commit them to source control.

What length should my API key be?

32 characters is a solid default for most applications; use 64+ for extremely sensitive systems.

API Key Generator - Create Secure API Keys

API Key Security Best Practices

An API key acts like a password for your application - anyone who obtains it can impersonate your requests. Always generate keys with high entropy, rotate them periodically, and scope permissions as narrowly as possible. Never hardcode keys directly in client-side code or commit them to public repositories.

Common Use Cases

API keys are used to authenticate requests to third-party services, secure internal microservices, and identify individual client applications. If you need identifiers rather than secrets, try our UUID generator. For everyday account credentials, use our password generator, and explore more developer utilities in our full tools directory.

How to use it

Set the key length (32 characters is a sensible default; go higher for sensitive systems).
Optionally add a prefix such as sk_live or pk_test to identify the key’s environment at a glance.
Click Generate API Key, then copy the result into your secrets manager or environment variable.

Example

A 32-character key with the prefix sk_live might look like sk_live_aB3xK9mPqR7sT2vW6yZ0nL4hJ5fD8gC. The prefix is human-readable metadata only — the cryptographic strength comes entirely from the random body, which is drawn from your browser’s CSPRNG.

Limitations

This tool generates a raw random token. It does not handle scoping, rotation, or revocation — those are your responsibility in the consuming system.
Never commit generated keys to source control or embed them in client-side code that ships to users.
If you need non-secret unique identifiers rather than secrets, use the UUID generator instead.

API Key Generator