API Keys

API keys authenticate programmatic access to Chainlink Platform products, such as the CRE CLI, the ACE APIs, and the CRE Connect API. This page describes how API key permissions work, which permissions are available for each product, and how to create and manage API keys.

How API keys work

An API key is an organization-level credential. When you create an API key, you select the permissions the key has, and the key can act only within those permissions.

  • A single API key can include permissions for multiple products. For example, one key can deploy CRE workflows and read ACE reports.
  • API key permissions are a subset of all permissions. Some permissions, such as managing members or billing, are available only to organization members through their roles.
  • An API key's access is determined by the permissions you select for it, not by your own role.

To create and manage API keys, you need a role that includes API key permissions, such as Platform User, Platform Admin, or Owner. See RBAC for the full list of roles.

Available permissions

The following tables list the permissions you can assign to an API key for each product. Each row matches a permission group in the API Scope section of the creation form: the Action column is what to select for that group, and the Permission ID column lists the permission ID that the action grants. A check mark indicates that the role includes the permissions the action grants. The Owner role includes every permission for every product.

NameActionPermission IDAdminUser
OrganizationReadplatform:organization:read✓✓
Owner addressReadplatform:owner_address:read✓✓

CRE

NameActionPermission IDAdminDeveloperViewer
WorkflowReadcre:workflow:read✓✓✓
WorkflowWritecre:workflow:write/private_registry✓✓
Workflow artifactReadcre:workflow:artifact:read✓✓✓
Workflow artifactWritecre:workflow:artifact:write✓✓
Owner address linkingWriteplatform:owner_address:linking:write/cre✓

ACE

Administration

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
Member roleWriteplatform:member_role:write/ace✓

Policy Manager

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
Policy manager policy engineReadace:policy_manager:policy_engine:read✓✓✓
Policy manager policy engineWriteace:policy_manager:policy_engine:write✓✓
Policy manager policy engine archiveWriteace:policy_manager:policy_engine:archive:write✓
Policy manager policyReadace:policy_manager:policy:read✓✓✓
Policy manager policyWriteace:policy_manager:policy:write✓✓
Policy manager policy archiveWriteace:policy_manager:policy:archive:write✓✓
Policy manager targetReadace:policy_manager:target:read✓✓✓
Policy manager targetWriteace:policy_manager:target:write✓✓
Policy manager target archiveWriteace:policy_manager:target:archive:write✓✓
Policy manager target accessReadace:policy_manager:target_access:read✓
Policy manager target accessWriteace:policy_manager:target_access:write✓
Policy manager implementationReadace:policy_manager:implementation:read✓✓✓
Policy manager implementationWriteace:policy_manager:implementation:write✓✓
Policy manager implementation archiveWriteace:policy_manager:implementation:archive:write✓

Identity Manager

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
Identity manager registryReadace:identity_manager:registry:read✓✓✓
Identity manager registryWriteace:identity_manager:registry:write✓✓
Identity manager registry archiveWriteace:identity_manager:registry:archive:write✓
Identity manager registry accessReadace:identity_manager:registry_access:read✓
Identity manager registry accessWriteace:identity_manager:registry_access:write✓
Identity manager identityReadace:identity_manager:identity:read✓✓✓
Identity manager identityWriteace:identity_manager:identity:write✓✓
Identity manager identity archiveWriteace:identity_manager:identity:archive:write✓✓

Reporting

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
Reporting policyReadace:reporting:policy:read✓✓✓
Reporting identityReadace:reporting:identity:read✓✓✓
Reporting targetReadace:reporting:target:read✓✓✓
Reporting transactionReadace:reporting:transaction:read✓✓✓
Reporting permitReadace:reporting:permit:read✓✓✓
Reporting registryReadace:reporting:registry:read✓✓✓

Evaluation

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
Evaluation permitReadace:evaluation:permit:read✓✓✓
Evaluation permitWriteace:evaluation:permit:write✓✓

Core

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
Core org configReadace:core:org_config:read✓✓✓
Core networkReadace:core:network:read✓✓✓
Core walletReadace:core:wallet:read✓✓✓
Core walletWriteace:core:wallet:write✓

Active Monitoring

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
Active monitoring action variableReadace:active_monitoring:action_variable:read✓✓✓
Active monitoring contract groupReadace:active_monitoring:contract_group:read✓✓✓
Active monitoring contract groupWriteace:active_monitoring:contract_group:write✓✓
Active monitoring rule groupReadace:active_monitoring:rule_group:read✓✓✓
Active monitoring rule groupWriteace:active_monitoring:rule_group:write✓✓
Active monitoring monitored addressReadace:active_monitoring:monitored_address:read✓✓✓
Active monitoring monitored addressWriteace:active_monitoring:monitored_address:write✓✓
Active monitoring screening intervalReadace:active_monitoring:screening_interval:read✓✓✓
Active monitoring screening intervalWriteace:active_monitoring:screening_interval:write✓✓
Active monitoring decision logReadace:active_monitoring:decision_log:read✓✓✓
Active monitoring decision logWriteace:active_monitoring:decision_log:write✓✓
Active monitoring provider api keyReadace:active_monitoring:provider_api_key:read✓✓✓
Active monitoring provider api keyWriteace:active_monitoring:provider_api_key:write✓

CRE Connect

Core

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
NetworkReadcrec:network:read✓✓✓
WalletReadcrec:wallet:read✓✓✓
WalletWritecrec:wallet:write✓✓
Wallet archiveWritecrec:wallet:archive:write✓

Operations

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
OperationReadcrec:operation:read✓✓✓
OperationWritecrec:operation:write✓✓
Operation signatureWritecrec:operation:signature:write✓✓

Channels

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
ChannelReadcrec:channel:read✓✓✓
ChannelWritecrec:channel:write✓✓
Channel archiveWritecrec:channel:archive:write✓

Watchers

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
WatcherReadcrec:watcher:read✓✓✓
WatcherWritecrec:watcher:write✓✓
Watcher archiveWritecrec:watcher:archive:write✓

Queries

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
QueryReadcrec:query:read✓✓✓
QueryWritecrec:query:write✓✓

Events

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
EventReadcrec:event:read✓✓✓

Administration

NameActionPermission IDAdminOperatorViewer
Member roleWriteplatform:member_role:write/crec✓

Data Streams

API keys cannot be scoped to Data Streams. Data Streams uses its own authentication with credentials managed in the Data Streams portal. See Data Streams API Authentication.

Creating an API key

To create an API key:

  1. Sign in to app.chain.link.
  2. Click on your account's icon in the top-right corner, then click on Org settings in the dropdown to open the Organization page.
  3. Click to open the API Keys tab and click Create API Key.
  4. Enter a name for the key.
  5. In the API Scope section, select the permissions for the key:
    • Each product (Platform, ACE, CRE, and CRE Connect) has its own accordion. Expand the products the key needs access to.
    • Each product has a preset: None, Read, All, or Custom. Read grants the product's read permissions, All grants every permission available for that product, and Custom is applied automatically when you change any individual permission. The Chainlink Platform accordion offers only None, Read, and Custom.
    • To grant individual permissions instead of a preset, set each permission group to None, Read, or All. Some groups offer only a subset of these options.
  6. Click Create API Key, then copy the key and click Done.

Managing API keys

The API Keys tab on the Organization page lists your organization's API keys with their name, key ID, author, product access, creation date, and status. Use the Status and Product access filters or the search field to find specific keys.

Click a key's name to open its edit panel. The Scopes tab shows the same permission selection as the creation form: change the presets or individual permissions, then click Save changes. The Actions tab lists the operations you can perform on the key:

  • Rename API Key: changes the key's name. The new name is visible to all organization members.
  • Rotate Key: generates a new value for the same key. Use this when a key's value may have been exposed.
  • Delete API: permanently deletes the API key and its value.

API key security

  • Never share your API keys. Each member should use keys with only the permissions they need.
  • If a key's value may have been exposed, rotate the key from its Actions tab.
  • Review your organization's API keys regularly and delete keys that are no longer needed.

What's next?

Get the latest Chainlink content straight to your inbox.