Transaction Log

Appearance

Guide: Managing API Keys ​

When you have agents out in the field pushing data to your server, you need a way to make sure they're authorized to do so. That’s where API keys come in. I've designed our API key system to be both secure and easy to manage, giving you full control over which agents can talk to your instance. Let's look at how you can create, revoke, and delete these keys to keep your environment secure.

Prerequisites ​

Before we get started, there are a couple of things you should know:

  • Admin Access: You'll need to be logged in as an Admin (via OIDC or LDAP) to access the API key management tools.
  • Auth Requirement: If you haven't enabled authentication on your server, your agents won't actually need a key to push data. However, I strongly recommend enabling auth for any setup that isn't just for local testing.

Creating a New API Key ​

Creating a key only takes a few seconds. I’ve kept the process lean so you can get your agents connected and moving quickly.

  1. Log in to your Txlog Server and head over to the Admin Panel.
  2. Find the API Keys section.
  3. Give your new key a descriptive name.
  4. Click Create API Key.
  5. IMPORTANT: A modal will pop up showing your full API Key. Copy this key immediately and store it somewhere safe. We don't store the plain-text key in our database for security reasons, which means we can't show it to you ever again. If you lose it, you'll have to create a new one.

Revoking a Key ​

Sometimes you need to stop a key from working but don't necessarily want to erase its history. That's where revoking comes in handy. It’s a soft disable that keeps the record in the database for auditing purposes.

  1. Navigate to the Admin Panel.
  2. Find the key you want to disable in the list.
  3. Click the Revoke button.
  4. The status will flip to Inactive. Any agent trying to use this key will immediately start receiving 401 Unauthorized errors.

Deleting a Key Permanently ​

If you're sure you don't need a key anymore and don't care about keeping a record of it, you can delete it permanently.

  1. In the Admin Panel, locate the key.
  2. Click the Delete button.
  3. Confirm the action when prompted. Remember, there's no undo button here.

Configuring Your Agent with the Key ​

Now that you've got your key, you just need to tell your Txlog Agent to use it. The easiest way to do this is by setting the TXLOG_API_KEY environment variable on the host where the agent is running. Once that's set, your data should start flowing into the server immediately.