API Key Management
Issuing, tracking, and revoking scoped API keys for programmatic access.
Definition
API key management covers the full lifecycle of machine-readable credentials: generation of cryptographically secure keys, storage (hashed, not plaintext), association with a user or team, scoping by permissions or tiers, rate limiting enforcement, revocation, and usage tracking for billing.
Why it matters for AI APIs
API keys are how developers and services authenticate to your API. Without a robust key management system, you can't control access, enforce rate limits, track usage per customer, or generate audit trails. These are table-stakes for any API product.
In FastAPI AI Kit
The kit ships a full API key system: `POST /v1/keys` to issue keys, `DELETE /v1/keys/{id}` to revoke, per-key metadata (tier, rate limits, owner), `@require_api_key` route decorator, and automatic usage recording per key in Postgres.