> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://novita.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# API Keys

An API key authenticates your requests to Novita AI. This page covers how keys work, how to create and store one, and how to keep it working across your environments.

Use this page to:

* Authenticate requests to Novita AI with a Bearer API key.
* Create an API key from the console and store it safely.
* Configure your key as an environment variable on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
* Understand how long a key stays valid and what the OpenAPI does and does not cover.

## Authentication

Novita AI authenticates API access using Bearer authentication. Send your API key in the `Authorization` request header:

```
Authorization: Bearer <API Key>
```

An example request:

```bash theme={"system"}
curl "https://api.novita.ai/openai/v1/chat/completions" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOVITA_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "deepseek/deepseek-r1",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
  }'
```

## Create an API key

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Key Management">
    Go to [Key Management](https://novita.ai/settings/key-management?utm_source=getstarted) in the console.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a new key">
    Select **Create API Key**, then give the key a name that reflects its purpose, such as `production` or `local-testing`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy and store the key">
    The full key is shown only once, at creation. Copy it immediately and store it somewhere safe, such as a secrets manager or an environment variable. If you lose it, you cannot recover it — create a new key instead.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Optionally, you can limit which models a key is allowed to call. See [Model Access for API Keys](/docs/guides/llm-model-access).
</Note>

## Key format and validity

* Every key begins with the `sk_` prefix.
* A key is shown in full only once, at creation. Afterward, the console displays a masked form.
* A key stays valid indefinitely once created. It keeps working until you delete it in the console.
* Each account can create up to **10** API keys.

## What the OpenAPI covers

You create and delete API keys in the console only. The Novita OpenAPI does not include endpoints to create or delete keys.

The key-related OpenAPI endpoints cover listing keys and managing a key's model access policy:

* [List API Keys](/docs/api-reference/key-list-with-model-access) — list the keys on your team, with an optional model access summary.
* [Get API Key Model Access Policy](/docs/api-reference/key-get-model-access-policy) — read a single key's model access policy.
* [Set API Key Model Access Policy](/docs/api-reference/key-put-model-access-policy) — set or update a key's model access policy.
* [Reset API Key Model Access Policy](/docs/api-reference/key-delete-model-access-policy) — reset a key's model access policy to the default. This resets the policy only; it does not delete the key itself.

## Store your key as an environment variable

Hardcoding a key in source code risks leaking it, for example when you commit the file. Reading the key from an environment variable such as `NOVITA_API_KEY` keeps it out of your code.

### Temporary vs. permanent

A key set with `export` (Linux/macOS) or `set` (Windows) lasts only for the current terminal session and is gone when you close it. That is fine for a quick test. To keep the key across sessions, set it permanently as shown below, then open a new terminal so the change takes effect.

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Linux theme={"system"}
  # Temporary: current session only
  export NOVITA_API_KEY="<Your API Key>"

  # Permanent: append to your shell profile, then reload
  echo 'export NOVITA_API_KEY="<Your API Key>"' >> ~/.bashrc
  source ~/.bashrc
  ```

  ```bash macOS theme={"system"}
  # Temporary: current session only
  export NOVITA_API_KEY="<Your API Key>"

  # Permanent: append to your shell profile, then reload
  # Newer macOS uses zsh (~/.zshrc); older setups use bash (~/.bash_profile)
  echo 'export NOVITA_API_KEY="<Your API Key>"' >> ~/.zshrc
  source ~/.zshrc
  ```

  ```powershell Windows theme={"system"}
  # Temporary: current PowerShell session only
  $env:NOVITA_API_KEY = "<Your API Key>"

  # Permanent: persist for the current user, then open a new terminal
  setx NOVITA_API_KEY "<Your API Key>"
  ```
</CodeGroup>

Read the key back in your code from the environment:

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={"system"}
  import os
  from openai import OpenAI

  client = OpenAI(
      base_url="https://api.novita.ai/openai",
      api_key=os.environ.get("NOVITA_API_KEY"),
  )
  ```

  ```javascript Node.js theme={"system"}
  import OpenAI from "openai";

  const client = new OpenAI({
    baseURL: "https://api.novita.ai/openai",
    apiKey: process.env.NOVITA_API_KEY,
  });
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### The variable is set but the code still can't find it

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="You set it temporarily and opened a new terminal">
    A key set with `export` or `$env:` lives only in the terminal session where you ran it. A new terminal, or a new tab, does not inherit it. Set the key permanently (`>> ~/.zshrc`, `setx`), or re-run the `export`/`$env:` line in the session you are using.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="You set it permanently but didn't restart">
    A permanent change (shell profile, `setx`) applies to terminals started after the change. Open a new terminal, and restart your IDE or editor so it picks up the new environment. On Windows, `setx` does not affect terminals that are already open.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A service manager doesn't inherit your shell environment">
    Processes launched by `systemd`, `supervisor`, Docker, or a CI runner do not read your interactive shell profile. Set the variable in the service's own configuration (for example, a `systemd` unit's `Environment=`, a `docker run -e` flag, or the CI project's secrets), not in `~/.bashrc`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="You ran the command under sudo">
    `sudo` does not pass your environment through by default, so the variable you exported as your user is not visible to the elevated process. Use `sudo -E` to preserve the environment, or set the variable within the elevated context.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Model Access for API Keys](/docs/guides/llm-model-access) — restrict which models a key can call.
* [Common Error Codes](/docs/guides/error) — resolve `401` and `403` responses related to keys.
* [Rate limits](/docs/guides/llm-rate-limits) — request and token limits that apply to your account.