An Alibaba Cloud AccessKey pair is a secure identity credential that you can use to access your Alibaba Cloud resources by calling API operations. You can use the AccessKey pair to sign API requests to pass the security authentication. This topic describes how to create and obtain an AccessKey pair.

Background information

An AccessKey pair consists of an AccessKey ID and an AccessKey secret.
  • The AccessKey ID is used to verify the identity of the user.
  • The AccessKey secret is used to encrypt and verify the signature string. You must keep your AccessKey secret strictly confidential.
Warning
  • If the AccessKey pair of your Alibaba Cloud account is leaked, your cloud resources are exposed to high risks. We recommend that you use a RAM user to call API operations. This minimizes the risk in which the AccessKey pair of your Alibaba Cloud account is leaked.
  • If your AccessKey pair is leaked, we recommend that you immediately delete it and create another AccessKey pair.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Alibaba Cloud Management Console by using your Alibaba Cloud account.
  2. Move the pointer over your profile picture in the upper-right corner and click AccessKey Management.
  3. In the Note dialog box, click Use Current AccessKey Pair or Use AccessKey Pair of RAM User.
    Note dialog box
    • Obtain the AccessKey pair of an Alibaba Cloud account
      1. Click Use Current AccessKey Pair.
      2. On the AccessKey Management page, click Create AccessKey.
      3. In the Create AccessKey dialog box, view the AccessKey ID and AccessKey secret. You can click Download CSV File to download the AccessKey pair or click Copy to copy the AccessKey pair.Create an AccessKey pair
    • Obtain the AccessKey pair of a RAM user
      1. Click Use AccessKey Pair of RAM User.
      2. On the Users page of the RAM console, find the RAM user whose AccessKey pair you want to obtain.
        Note If you do not have a RAM user, create one first. For more information, see Create a RAM user.
      3. Click the name of the RAM user in the User Logon Name/Display Name column.
      4. In the User AccessKeys section of the Authentication tab, click Create AccessKey.
      5. In the Create AccessKey dialog box, view the AccessKey ID and AccessKey secret. You can click Download CSV File to download the AccessKey pair or click Copy to copy the AccessKey pair.Create an AccessKey pair
        Note
        • The AccessKey secret of a RAM user is displayed only when the AccessKey pair of the RAM user is created. The AccessKey secret cannot be queried in the future. You must keep the AccessKey secret confidential.
        • If the AccessKey pair of a RAM user is disclosed or lost, you must create another AccessKey pair for the RAM user. You can create a maximum of two AccessKey pairs for each RAM user.