--- title: PropelAuth - API Key Authentication description: Protect your customer's requests with authentication for your API. canonical_url: https://www.propelauth.com/api-key-authentication --- # Authentication for your APIs Giving your customers API access? Don't waste time on a bunch of boilerplate - let PropelAuth handle it for you. ## No surprises allowed ### Set your own rate limits Whether it’s for preventing abuse or just limiting some of your more… excitable customers, rate limits can be enforced on both personal and organization API keys. _A bar chart of calls per two-minute window for Globex's organization API key, with a dashed limit line at 200. The part of each bar under the line is allowed in green, the part above it is rate limited in amber._ ### Expiration Notifications All good things eventually come to an end, like that API Key your customer generated a year ago and forgot about. Set up proactive notifications to alert your customers that their keys are about to expire so they don't lose access to your product, even for a minute. _An email from Acme to joe@globex.com with the subject Your API key expires in 14 days. It says the key Nightly export expires on October 21, shows the key marked expires in 14 days, and has a Manage API keys button._ ### Detailed usage metrics Gain an understanding of how actively your API keys are being used. Get a breakdown per user, per organization, or per individual key. _Top 5 API keys by calls in the last 30 days: Nightly export by joe@acme.com with 48,210, Partner sync, an Acme org key, with 31,904, Data warehouse, a Globex org key, with 22,418, Staging CI by ana@initech.com with 9,730, and Zapier bridge, an Umbrella org key, with 4,102._ ## Frequently asked questions ### When do API keys expire? API keys can be set to expire after a certain amount of time or never expire. API keys can also be tied to a user or organization, and will automatically expire if the user/org is blocked or deleted. ### Can I set rate limits on API keys? Yes - you can set rate limits on API keys to prevent abuse or limit usage. Rate limits can be set on both personal and organization API keys. ### I have less frequently asked questions... Reach out to us at support@propelauth.com. ## Get started Sign up: https://auth.propelauth.com/en/signup Request a demo: https://calendly.com/andrew-propelauth/propelauth-integration-chat