MessagesFirst steps

Get your Claude API key

Find, create, and manage your API keys for the Claude API in the Claude Console.

API keys for the Claude API (also called Anthropic API keys) live in the Claude Console. To view your existing keys or create a new one, go to Settings → API keys.

Create an API key

Sign in to the Claude Console
Go to platform.claude.com and sign in, or create an account if you don't have one yet.
Open the API keys page
Go to Settings → API keys.
Create a key
Click Create key, then give the key a name. You can also choose a workspace to scope the key to, and an expiration.
Copy and store the key
The Console shows the full key, which starts with sk-ant-, only once, at creation. Copy it and store it somewhere safe, such as a secrets manager. If you lose a key, you can't view it again in the Console. Create a new key instead.

If the Create key button is disabled, you may not have permission to create keys in that workspace. Ask an organization admin to grant you access or to create a key for you.

Use your API key

Set the key as an environment variable:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."

The client SDKs read ANTHROPIC_API_KEY automatically. Direct HTTP requests send the key in the x-api-key header. To make your first request, follow the Quickstart, and see Authentication for the full picture, including short-lived credentials with Workload Identity Federation.

API keys and the Admin API

The Admin API includes endpoints for managing your organization's API keys programmatically, such as Retrieve API Key and List API Keys. These endpoints are for organization admins automating key management. They require a separate Admin API key, and they never return a key's secret value, only a partially redacted hint.

The Admin API can't recover a lost key or give you a key to call the Claude API with. To get a usable API key, create one in Settings → API keys in the Claude Console.

Was this page helpful?

Create an API key

Sign in to the Claude Console
Go to platform.claude.com and sign in, or create an account if you don't have one yet.
Open the API keys page
Go to Settings → API keys.
Create a key
Click Create key, then give the key a name. You can also choose a workspace to scope the key to, and an expiration.
Copy and store the key
The Console shows the full key, which starts with sk-ant-, only once, at creation. Copy it and store it somewhere safe, such as a secrets manager. If you lose a key, you can't view it again in the Console. Create a new key instead.

If the Create key button is disabled, you may not have permission to create keys in that workspace. Ask an organization admin to grant you access or to create a key for you.

Use your API key

Set the key as an environment variable:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."

API keys and the Admin API

The Admin API can't recover a lost key or give you a key to call the Claude API with. To get a usable API key, create one in Settings → API keys in the Claude Console.

Was this page helpful?

Create an API key

Use your API key

API keys and the Admin API

Create an API key

Use your API key

API keys and the Admin API

Create an API key

Use your API key

API keys and the Admin API

Create an API key

Use your API key

API keys and the Admin API