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Access keys provide a secure way to authenticate with the Encord SDK.
Service Account Access keys are tied to the Workspace they are created in and grant access to all resources that the Service Account has access to within the Workspace.
Admins can create 1 Service Account per Workspace. Contact us at support@encord.com if you need more than 1 Service Account.
Only Encord Admins (not Project Admins) can create Service Accounts in Encord. To create a Service Account:
  1. Go to Workspace Settings > Service Accounts. The Service Accounts page appears. Create Service Account
  2. Click Create service account. Create Service Account 2
  3. Provide a meaningful name for the service account. The name provided is appended into the email address used by the service account.
  4. Provide a meaningful description for the service account.
  5. Click Create service account. A new service account appears in the Service Account list.
  6. Click into the service account. Create Service Account 3
  7. Click New API key. Create Service Account 4
  8. Type a meaningful title for the key.
  9. Click Generate key pair
  10. Click Add API key. A file downloads to your computer containing the key.
Create Service Account 5
  1. Return to the Service Accounts page.
  2. Apply a role to the Service Account:
  • Admin: Executive privileges over Workspaces such as adding and removing users, and the ability to view all Projects.
  • Member: No administrative privileges over Workspaces. Can only view Projects they create, or have been invited to.

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User-Level Access Keys

User-level Access Keys are tied to the user and grant access to the same resources that user can access in the Workspace. When the user is removed from the Workspace, the Access Key stops working.
  1. Click the user icon in the top-right corner of the UI.
  2. Select Profile settings.
  1. Click API keys
  2. Click the New Key button to add or generate a new key.
  3. Give the key a meaningful name.
  4. Click Generate key pair to generate a new Access Key pair. The public key field is automatically populated, and a .txt containing your corresponding private key is downloaded.
  1. Click Add API key to add your key. The key is now listed in the API keys section along with an ID that serves as a unique identifier.
Key names do not have to be unique, but the keys themselves do. Attempting to upload a duplicate key results in an error.

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Using Terminal / Powershell

We strongly recommend using the Encord UI to generate Access Keys.
Follow these steps to generate a public-private key pair using an encryption library. Encryption libraries are part of most major operating systems, therefore you can generate this key pair using the appropriate terminal for your OS:
  • Linux/macOS: the default terminal
  • Windows 10 & Server 2019/2022: Powershell
To generate a public-private key pair:
  1. Open Terminal or Powershell.
  2. Run the following command: 
    $ ssh-keygen -t ed25519
  3. Press enter to accept the default file location or modify as required:
    Mac
    > Enter a file in which to save the key (/Users/YOU/.ssh/id_ALGORITHM): [Modify / Press ENTER]
    Windows
    > Enter a file in which to save the key (C:\Users\YOU/.ssh/id_ALGORITHM): [Modify / Press ENTER]
    Linux
    > Enter a file in which to save the key (/home/YOU/.ssh/id_ALGORITHM): [Modify / Press ENTER]
  4. [IMPORTANT] Leave the passphrase blank: 
    > Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase): [Press ENTER]
> Enter same passphrase again: [Press ENTER]
Ensure that the private key you have generated is not protected by a passphrase. Password-protected private keys cannot be authenticated in Encord. All private keys generated on the Encord platform are not password-protected by default.
You should now have two files:
  • /path/to/your/key/id_ALGORITHM contains your private key (which you should keep secure);
  • /path/to/your/key/id_ALGORITHM.pub contains your public key (usually in a file ending in .pub).
The next step is to add your public key to Encord. To add your public key to Encord:
  1. Copy the contents of the public key file. For that, execute: 
    $ cat /path/to/your/key/id_ALGORITHM.pub
  # Then select and copy the contents of the id_ALGORITHM.pub file
  # displayed in the terminal to your clipboard
  2. Navigate to the ‘API keys’ section of the user settings to create, register and manage your public keys.
  1. Enter a title for your public key in the first field, and paste your public key in the second field. The Create button becomes available once both fields have been populated.
  2. Click Create to add your public key to Encord. It is listed showing the key’s name, and a signature that serves as a unique identifier.