Management API Keys

ARouter uses two distinct types of API keys with different permissions:

Key Type	Prefix	Purpose
Standard API Key	`lr_live_...`	LLM inference, all `/v1/*` endpoints
Management API Key	`lr_admin_...`	Key management, `/api/v1/keys/*` endpoints only

Management keys cannot call /v1/chat/completions or other inference endpoints. Standard keys cannot manage other keys.

Creating a Management API Key

Go to ARouter Dashboard
Click New Key
Select Management Key type
Copy the key — it’s shown only once

Use Cases

Management keys are designed for:

CI/CD pipelines that rotate application keys on deployment
Key provisioning services that create per-user or per-tenant keys
Admin scripts that audit or clean up unused keys
Terraform / infrastructure-as-code that manages key lifecycle

Key Management Endpoints

All management endpoints require a Management API key:

List Keys

curl https://api.arouter.ai/api/v1/keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lr_admin_xxxx"

{
  "data": [
    {
      "hash": "abc123...",
      "name": "production-app",
      "label": "Production",
      "created_at": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "last_used_at": "2026-04-01T12:00:00Z",
      "usage": {"prompt_tokens": 1500000, "completion_tokens": 450000, "cost": 12.50},
      "limit_usd": 100.0,
      "rate_limit": {"requests_per_minute": 100}
    }
  ]
}

Create a Key

curl -X POST https://api.arouter.ai/api/v1/keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lr_admin_xxxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "staging-app",
    "label": "Staging",
    "limit_usd": 25.0,
    "allowed_models": ["openai/gpt-5.4", "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6"]
  }'

Response:

{
  "key": "lr_live_xxxx...",
  "hash": "def456...",
  "name": "staging-app"
}

The key value is returned only once at creation time. Store it securely — it cannot be retrieved again.

Update a Key

curl -X PATCH https://api.arouter.ai/api/v1/keys/{key_hash} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lr_admin_xxxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "label": "Staging (v2)",
    "limit_usd": 50.0
  }'

Delete a Key

curl -X DELETE https://api.arouter.ai/api/v1/keys/{key_hash} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lr_admin_xxxx"

{"deleted": true, "hash": "def456..."}

Key Object Reference

Field	Type	Description
`hash`	`string`	Unique key identifier (safe to store, not the key itself)
`name`	`string`	Internal name for your reference
`label`	`string`	Display label shown in Dashboard
`created_at`	`string`	ISO 8601 creation timestamp
`last_used_at`	`string`	ISO 8601 timestamp of last use
`usage.prompt_tokens`	`integer`	Cumulative prompt tokens
`usage.completion_tokens`	`integer`	Cumulative completion tokens
`usage.cost`	`number`	Cumulative cost in USD
`limit_usd`	`number\|null`	Spending limit. `null` = unlimited.
`rate_limit.requests_per_minute`	`integer\|null`	RPM limit. `null` = unlimited.
`allowed_models`	`string[]\|null`	Model allow-list. `null` = all models allowed.
`allowed_providers`	`string[]\|null`	Provider allow-list. `null` = all providers allowed.

Automated Key Rotation

See API Key Rotation for a complete guide to zero-downtime key rotation using Management keys.

Key Management — Managing keys from the Dashboard
API Key Rotation — Automated rotation strategies
Guardrails — Setting limits and policies on keys

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Management API Keys

Creating a Management API Key

Use Cases

Key Management Endpoints

List Keys

Create a Key

Update a Key

Delete a Key

Key Object Reference

Automated Key Rotation

​Creating a Management API Key

​Use Cases

​Key Management Endpoints

​List Keys

​Create a Key

​Update a Key

​Delete a Key

​Key Object Reference

​Automated Key Rotation

​Related

Creating a Management API Key

Use Cases

Key Management Endpoints

List Keys

Create a Key

Update a Key

Delete a Key

Key Object Reference

Automated Key Rotation

Related