An AccessKey pair authenticates your identity when you call Alibaba Cloud APIs. You can create one for an Alibaba Cloud account or a Resource Access Management (RAM) user.
An AccessKey pair consists of an AccessKey ID and an AccessKey secret.
AccessKey ID: Identifies the caller, similar to a username.
AccessKey secret: Verifies the caller's identity, similar to a password. Keep your AccessKey secret confidential and store it securely.
Important
A leaked AccessKey pair for an Alibaba Cloud account exposes all resources under that account. Use a RAM user's AccessKey pair instead of your Alibaba Cloud account's AccessKey pair to limit the impact of a potential leak.
For instructions, see Create an AccessKey pair.