You can create an AccessKey pair for an Alibaba Cloud account or a Resource Access Management (RAM) user. An AccessKey pair is required to verify your identity when you call Alibaba Cloud APIs.
Background information
An AccessKey pair consists of an AccessKey ID and an AccessKey secret.
AccessKey ID: Used to identify the user.
AccessKey secret: A key used to authenticate the user. You must keep your AccessKey secret confidential.
A leaked AccessKey pair for your Alibaba Cloud account compromises the security of all your resources. To reduce this risk, we recommend that you use an AccessKey pair that belongs to a RAM user to make API calls.
Procedure
Use your Alibaba Cloud account to log on to the Alibaba Cloud console.
Hover over your avatar in the upper-right corner of the page. In the drop-down list that appears, click AccessKey.
In the dialog box that appears, choose whether to use RAM user AccessKey or cloud account AccessKey.
Click Use Cloud Account AccessKey
On the AccessKey page, click Create AccessKey.
In the View Secret dialog box, view the AccessKey ID and AccessKey secret. To save the AccessKey pair to a file, click Download CSV File. To copy it, click Copy.
Use the AccessKey pair of a RAM user
Click Start Using Sub-user AccessKey.
The Users page of the RAM console opens automatically. Find the RAM user for which you want to create an AccessKey pair.
NoteIf no RAM user exists, create one first. For more information, see Create a RAM user.
Click the logon name of the user.
On the Authentication tab, click Create AccessKey in the User AccessKey section.
In the View Secret dialog box, view the AccessKey ID and AccessKey secret. To save the AccessKey pair to a file, click Download CSV File. To copy it, click Copy.
NoteThe AccessKey secret of a RAM user is displayed only when the AccessKey pair is created and cannot be queried later. Keep it secure.
If an AccessKey pair is leaked or lost, create a new one. Each RAM user can have a maximum of two AccessKey pairs.