This page describes how to use API keys to access Google Cloud APIs and services that accept API keys.
Not all Google Cloud APIs accept API keys to authorize usage. Review the documentation for the service or API that you want to use to determine whether it accepts API keys.
For information about creating and managing API keys, including restricting API keys, see Manage API keys.
For information about using API keys with Google Maps Platform, see the Google Maps Platform documentation. For more information about the API Keys API, see the API Keys API documentation.Using an API key with REST
You can pass the API key into a REST API call as a query parameter with the
following format. Replace API_KEY
with the key string of
your API key.
For example, to pass an API key for a Cloud Natural Language API request
for documents.analyzeEntities
:
POST https://language.googleapis.com/v1/documents:analyzeEntities?key=API_KEY
Alternatively, you can use the x-goog-api-key
header to pass in your key.
This header must be used with gRPC requests.
curl -X POST \ -H "X-goog-api-key: API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \ -d @request.json \ "https://translation.googleapis.com/language/translate/v2"
Using an API key with client libraries
Client library support for API keys is language-specific.
This example uses the Cloud Natural Language API, which supports API keys for authentication, to demonstrate how you would provide an API key to the library.
C#
To run this sample, you must install the Natural Language client library.
C++
To run this sample, you must install the Natural Language client library.
Go
To run this sample, you must install the Natural Language client library.
Python
To run this sample, you must install the Natural Language client library.
Node.js
To run this sample, you must install the Natural Language client library.
When you use API keys in your applications, ensure that they are kept secure during both storage and transmission. Publicly exposing your API keys can lead to unexpected charges on your account. For more information, see Best practices for managing API keys.
What's next
- See an overview of authentication methods.
- Learn more about the API Keys API.