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How to Create an API Key for a User

Updated on 18 August, 2026

Create a named API key with an optional expiration date for an organization user in Vultr IAM to support a specific integration, script, or automated workflow.

A user in your organization can hold multiple named API keys, each with its own optional expiration date. Creating a dedicated API key for a specific integration or workflow lets you revoke that access independently without affecting the user's other keys.

Follow this guide to create an API key for a user using the Vultr Console or the Vultr API.

Note
Use a root user account or a user with the Manage Users permission on the organization.
  • Vultr Console
  • Vultr API

  1. Log in to the Vultr Console.

  2. Click the organization name in the top navigation bar.

  3. Click Manage Organization.

  4. Click Users.

  5. Click the user you want to create an API key for.

  6. Under API Access, click Create API Key.

  7. Enter a Key Name. This field is optional.

  8. To set an expiration date, select Should the API key expire? and choose an Expiration Date. Leave this unselected to create a key that does not expire.

  9. Click Generate API Key.

  10. Click Copy to Clipboard to copy the generated key.

    Note
    The API key is only displayed once. Store it securely, as it cannot be retrieved again after this step.

  11. Select I have successfully copied the key and click Finalize Key Generation.

    The new key appears in the API Keys list on the user's management page.

  1. Send a GET request to the List Users endpoint to retrieve all users and note the target user's id.

    console 
    $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/users" \
    -X GET \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}"

  2. Send a POST request to the Create API Key endpoint to create a new API key for the user. Replace {user-id} with the id from the previous step and KEY-NAME with a name for the key. Set expire to true and provide date_expire to create a key that expires on a specific date, or set expire to false to create a key that never expires.

    console 
    $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/users/{user-id}/apikeys" \
    -X POST \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
        "name": "KEY-NAME",
        "expire": false
    }'

    A successful request returns an HTTP 202 Accepted response containing the generated API key. Note the key value, as it is not retrievable again after this step.

  3. Send a GET request to the List API Keys endpoint to retrieve all API keys for the user. Replace {user-id} with the user id.

    console 
    $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/users/{user-id}/apikeys" \
    -X GET \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}"

    Verify that the new key appears in the response.

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