---
title: "Create, store and revoke API keys"
url: "https://lookvalid.com/help/account/manage-api-keys.md"
canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/help/account/manage-api-keys"
last_updated: "2026-10-22"
type: "conceptual"
summary: "How to create an API key, where to keep it and what to do if it leaks."
related: ["https://lookvalid.com/docs/authentication.md", "https://lookvalid.com/docs/quickstart.md", "https://lookvalid.com/help/api/use-the-api.md"]
---

# Create, store and revoke API keys

How to create an API key, where to keep it and what to do if it leaks.

## Create a key

1. Open [API keys](https://lookvalid.com/dashboard/keys) in the dashboard.
2. Choose to create a key and name it after the application that will use it.
3. Copy the key right away. It is shown once and cannot be recovered.

## Use it

Send the key as a bearer token. Keys begin with `lv_live_`.

Sending a key in a request

```bash
curl -X POST https://YOUR_API_HOST/v1/phone \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LOOKVALID_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"phone":"+14155552671"}'
```

## Keep it safe

- Keep keys in environment variables or a secret manager, never in source control or browser code.
- Use one key per application so you can revoke one without touching the others.
- If a key leaks, revoke it in the dashboard. A revoked key stops working on the next request.

## Stored as a hash

We store only a hash and a short prefix of each key, so we cannot show you a key again.

## Related

- [Authentication](https://lookvalid.com/docs/authentication.md)
- [Quickstart](https://lookvalid.com/docs/quickstart.md)
- [Call the API and read its responses](https://lookvalid.com/help/api/use-the-api.md)