Ask HN: Is there an API key generator? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Is there an API key generator?

5 pointsjuancampa4 comments

Every time I'm integrating with a new service I have to figure out how to generate an API key for it. Wouldn't it be nice if you could do something like:

  $ gen-api-key gmail
  username: <username>
  password:
  working...
  Client ID: XXXXXXX
  Client Secret: XXXXXXX

Are there any efforts to standardize this process? Something like ACME (used to generate TLS certs) but for API keys?

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There are emerging standards around this -- in the sense of, you, as the agent to a new client, providing some information and gaining delegated access, complete with API keys, to some established resource server -- but deployment is fairly low.

OIDC: Dynamic Client Registration: https://openid.net/specs/openid-connect-registration-1_0.htm...

OAuth 2.0: RFC 7591 https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7591

I just do something like this in Ruby. There's probably a way to do it in every language:

clientId = SecureRandom.hex(12)

clientSecret = SecureRandom.hex(12)

I think OP is talking about generating keys from third party providers. Like generating a key from sendgrid or stripe without going to their website / UI.

Yup, that's what I meant. Thanks

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