---
title: "API Keys | Tajo"
description: "Complete guide to API key authentication with Brevo"
url: https://tajo.io/docs/authentication/api-keys/
markdown: https://tajo.io/docs/authentication/api-keys.md
lang: en-US
author: "Set Noa"
author_url: https://tajo.io/set-noa/
---

# API Keys

[Set Noa](https://tajo.io/set-noa/)

API keys are the primary method for authenticating with the Brevo API. They provide a simple and secure way to access your account programmatically.

## What are API Keys?

API keys are unique identifiers that authenticate your application when making requests to the Brevo API. Each key is a 64-character string that serves as both an identifier and a password.

```
Example API key: xkeysib-a1b2c3d4e5f6789012345678901234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef123456-Ab1Cd2Ef3Gh4
```

## Generating API Keys

### Step-by-Step Guide

1. **Log into Brevo**: Access your [Brevo dashboard](https://app.brevo.com/)
2. **Navigate to Settings**: Click on your profile → Settings
3. **Go to API Keys**: Select “API Keys” from the left menu
4. **Create New Key**: Click “Generate a New API Key”
5. **Name Your Key**: Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Production App”, “Development Testing”)
6. **Set Permissions**: Choose the appropriate access level
7. **Generate**: Click “Generate” and copy the key immediately

### API Key Naming Conventions

Use descriptive names that help you identify the key’s purpose:

- `production-web-app`
- `staging-environment`
- `mobile-app-ios`
- `webhook-listener`
- `data-sync-service`

## API Key Types and Permissions

### Full Access Keys

```
Permissions: All API endpoints
Use cases: Complete application integration
Risk level: High - protect carefully
```

### Read-Only Keys

```
Permissions: GET requests only
Use cases: Analytics, reporting, dashboards
Risk level: Low - limited access
```

### Send-Only Keys

```
Permissions: Transactional email sending
Use cases: Application notifications, receipts
Risk level: Medium - can send emails
```

### Contact Management Keys

```
Permissions: Contact CRUD operations
Use cases: CRM integrations, form submissions
Risk level: Medium - data modification
```

## Using API Keys

### Header Authentication

Include your API key in the `api-key` header:

```http
GET /v3/account HTTP/1.1
Host: api.brevo.com
Accept: application/json
Content-Type: application/json
api-key: YOUR_API_KEY
```

### Code Examples

#### JavaScript/Node.js

```javascript
const brevo = require('@getbrevo/brevo');

const apiInstance = new brevo.AccountApi();
apiInstance.setApiKey(brevo.AccountApiApiKeys.apiKey, process.env.BREVO_API_KEY);

// Make authenticated request
apiInstance.getAccount()
  .then(data => console.log('Account info:', data))
  .catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));
```

#### Python

```python
import sib_api_v3_sdk
from sib_api_v3_sdk.rest import ApiException

# Configure API key
configuration = sib_api_v3_sdk.Configuration()
configuration.api_key['api-key'] = 'YOUR_API_KEY'

# Create API instance
api_instance = sib_api_v3_sdk.AccountApi(sib_api_v3_sdk.ApiClient(configuration))

try:
    # Get account info
    api_response = api_instance.get_account()
    print(api_response)
except ApiException as e:
    print("Exception when calling AccountApi->get_account: %s\n" % e)
```

#### PHP

```php
<?php
require_once(__DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php');

// Configure API key
$config = SendinBlue\Client\Configuration::getDefaultConfiguration()->setApiKey('api-key', 'YOUR_API_KEY');

// Create API instance
$apiInstance = new SendinBlue\Client\Api\AccountApi(
    new GuzzleHttp\Client(),
    $config
);

try {
    $result = $apiInstance->getAccount();
    print_r($result);
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo 'Exception when calling AccountApi->getAccount: ', $e->getMessage(), PHP_EOL;
}
?>
```

#### Ruby

```ruby
require 'sib-api-v3-sdk'

# Configure API key
SibApiV3Sdk.configure do |config|
  config.api_key['api-key'] = 'YOUR_API_KEY'
end

# Create API instance
api_instance = SibApiV3Sdk::AccountApi.new

begin
  # Get account info
  result = api_instance.get_account
  puts result
rescue SibApiV3Sdk::ApiError => e
  puts "Exception when calling AccountApi->get_account: #{e}"
end
```

## API Key Security

### Secure Storage

**Environment Variables** (Recommended)

```bash
# .env file
BREVO_API_KEY=xkeysib-your-api-key-here

# Usage in code
const apiKey = process.env.BREVO_API_KEY;
```

**Cloud Secret Managers**

- AWS Secrets Manager
- Google Secret Manager
- Azure Key Vault
- HashiCorp Vault

### Security Best Practices

1. **Never Hardcode Keys**

   ```javascript
   // ❌ Bad - hardcoded
   const apiKey = "xkeysib-a1b2c3d4...";

   // ✅ Good - environment variable
   const apiKey = process.env.BREVO_API_KEY;
   ```

2. **Use Different Keys per Environment**

   ```
   Production:  BREVO_API_KEY_PROD
   Staging:     BREVO_API_KEY_STAGING
   Development: BREVO_API_KEY_DEV
   ```

3. **Rotate Keys Regularly**

   - Set calendar reminders for quarterly rotation
   - Use automation tools for key rotation
   - Have a rollback plan ready

4. **Monitor Key Usage**

   - Set up alerts for unusual activity
   - Review key usage logs monthly
   - Track geographic access patterns

## Key Management

### Active Key Monitoring

Monitor your active keys in the dashboard:

```
Key Name: production-web-app
Created: 2024-01-15
Last Used: 2024-01-20 14:30 UTC
Requests Today: 1,247
Status: Active
```

### Key Rotation Process

1. **Generate New Key**: Create replacement key
2. **Update Configuration**: Deploy with new key
3. **Monitor**: Ensure new key works correctly
4. **Grace Period**: Keep old key active for 24-48 hours
5. **Revoke Old Key**: Delete the previous key

### Emergency Key Revocation

If a key is compromised:

1. **Immediate Revocation**: Delete key from dashboard
2. **Generate Replacement**: Create new key immediately
3. **Update Applications**: Deploy with new key ASAP
4. **Monitor Activity**: Check for unauthorized usage
5. **Incident Report**: Document the security incident

## Rate Limiting and API Keys

Brevo limits requests per endpoint, not per day. On the general tier, which every plan gets, `POST /v3/smtp/email` allows 1,000 requests per second, the `/v3/contacts` endpoints allow 10 per second and 36,000 per hour, and endpoints without their own limit allow 100 per hour. Professional and Enterprise plans unlock higher tiers. See [Rate limits](https://tajo.io/docs/rate-limits/) for the full table.

### Rate Limit Headers

```http
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
x-sib-ratelimit-limit: 1000
x-sib-ratelimit-remaining: 750
x-sib-ratelimit-reset: 1
```

### Handling Rate Limits

```javascript
async function makeApiCall() {
  try {
    const response = await fetch(url, { headers });

    if (response.status === 429) {
      // Seconds until the window resets
      const waitTime = Number(response.headers.get('x-sib-ratelimit-reset') || 1);

      console.log(`Rate limited. Waiting ${waitTime} seconds`);
      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, waitTime * 1000));

      // Retry the request
      return makeApiCall();
    }

    return response.json();
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('API call failed:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}
```

## Troubleshooting API Keys

### Common Error Messages

**Invalid API Key (401)**

```json
{
  "code": "unauthorized",
  "message": "Invalid API key provided"
}
```

**Insufficient Permissions (403)**

```json
{
  "code": "permission_denied",
  "message": "API key does not have required permissions"
}
```

**Rate Limit Exceeded (429)**

```json
{
  "code": "too_many_requests",
  "message": "Rate limit exceeded for API key"
}
```

### Debugging Checklist

- Key is correctly formatted (64 characters)
- No extra spaces or hidden characters
- Key has required permissions
- Key is active (not revoked)
- Within rate limits
- Using correct API endpoint
- Headers properly formatted

## Next Steps

- [Learn about OAuth 2.0](https://tajo.io/docs/authentication/oauth/)
- Understand JWT tokens
- [Explore rate limits](https://tajo.io/docs/rate-limits/)
- [Try the SDKs](https://tajo.io/docs/sdks-libraries/)