> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.topazlabs.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.topazlabs.com/getting-started/api-key.md).

# API Key Setup

Learn how to set up your first API key

Every request is authenticated with an API key sent in the `X-API-Key` header.

In order to get access to the API, you'll need to [log into](http://topazlabs.com/account) your Topaz Labs account and create your unique API key. If you don't have an account, please follow the link [here](https://topazlabs.com/wp-login.php?action=register) to register.

Once you have an account, follow the below steps:

1. Log into your Topaz Labs account from our [website](https://topazlabs.com/my-account/)
2. Navigate to the **API** tab section on your account page
3. Click "Create API Key", then enter a "Key name" and other prompted information
4. Click "Create API Key" to confirm your inputted information
5. Click "Copy API Key" to copy it to your clipboard and store it in a safe place

{% hint style="warning" %}
You may only view your API key on creation, so please be sure to copy the key as it will no longer be visible to you once you exit the page. If you lose your key, you may log into your account portal to manage your existing keys and generate new ones.
{% endhint %}

### Storing Your API Key

```bash
export TOPAZ_API_KEY="PASTE_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
```

### Next Steps

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><i class="fa-play">:play:</i></td><td><h4>Image Quickstart</h4></td><td>Quickly get started with our Image API.</td><td><a href="/getting-started/image-quickstart.md">Image Quickstart</a></td></tr><tr><td><i class="fa-play">:play:</i></td><td><h4>Video Quickstart</h4></td><td>Quickly get started with our Video API.</td><td><a href="/getting-started/video-quickstart.md">Video Quickstart</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


---

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