What Is An API Key And Where Do I Find It?

What Is An API Key And Where Do I Find It?

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What Is An API Key?

An API Key is a string of characters that allows different applications to communicate. It's basically a secret password that tells one application that it has permission to communicate with another.

An example of how an API Key is used is when running a Call Campaign in CallHub you can add in your Action Network API key to share information about your members, Reports and Tags. It allows the two systems to share information so the results of a report can be imported as a new phonebook for your Call Campaign, and any edits you make to activist data in CallHub can flow through to Action Network.

API stands for application programming interface.

Where To Find Your Action Network API Key

1. To find your API Key you just need to click on Details on the top navigation menu in Action Network and click on API & Sync.



2. On the following page you'll see different things depending on if an API Key has previously been generated or not.
  1. If an API Key has not previously been generated you'll see a button labelled GENERATE API KEY. 
    A green button labelled generate API Key.
    Clicking on this button will generate a new API Key which will appear as a string of letters and numbers.
  2. If an API Key has already been generated you will see it already, along with a button labelled REVOKE & GENERATE NEW KEY.
    A green button labelled revoke and generate new key.
    You can simply copy and paste the existing API Key into the application you're working with.
If your API Key is ever compromised, or if you want to ensure all existing permissions from other applications are removed simply click the button REVOKE & GENERATE NEW KEY. If you're making use of any API integrations these will cease to work until the new API Key is provided to the application you wish to use it with.
Warning
You should consider your API Key as highly sensitive information in the same way you would your own password, and should only share it with a platform or application that you know and trust.
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