---
layout: default
navsection: userguide
-navmenu: Reference
title: "Getting an API token"
-
...
-h1. Reference: Getting an API token
+The Arvados API token is a secret key that enables the @arv@ command line client to access Arvados with the proper permissions.
-The Arvados API token is a secret key that enables the @arv@ command line
-client to access Arvados with the proper permissions.
+Access the Arvados Workbench using this link: "https://{{ site.arvados_workbench_host }}/":https://{{ site.arvados_workbench_host }}/ (Replace @{{ site.arvados_api_host }}@ with the hostname of your local Arvados instance if necessary.)
-Access the Arvados workbench using this link:
+Open a shell on the system where you want to use the Arvados client. This may be your local workstation, or an Arvados virtual machine accessed with SSH ("Unix":{{site.baseurl}}/user/getting_started/ssh-access-unix.html#login or "Windows":{{site.baseurl}}/user/getting_started/ssh-access-windows.html#login).
-"https://workbench.{{ site.arvados_api_host }}/":https://workbench.{{ site.arvados_api_host }}/
+Click on the user icon <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-user"></span> in the upper right corner to access the user settings menu. Click on the menu item *Manage API tokens* to go to the "Api client authorizations" page.
-(Replace @{{ site.arvados_api_host }}@ with the hostname of your local Arvados instance if necessary.)
+h2. The easy way
-Use the menu to navigate to _Access %(rarr)→% API Tokens._ There should be one or more rows. The column *api_token* contains the actual token string that you will use. Copy the value of *api_token* for the first row onto the clipboard.
+For your convenience, the "Api client authorizations" page on Workbench provides a *Help* tab that includes a command you may copy and paste directly into the shell. It will look something like this:
-Next, open a shell on the system on which you intend to use the Arvados client (refer to "Accessing Arvados over ssh":{{site.basedoc}}/user/getting_started/ssh-access.html ) and enter the following (replace the value of @ARVADOS_API_TOKEN@ with the value you copied from the Workbench):
+bc. ### Pasting the following lines at a shell prompt will allow Arvados SDKs
+### to authenticate to your account, you@example.com
+read ARVADOS_API_TOKEN <<EOF
+2jv9346o396exampledonotuseexampledonotuseexes7j1ld
+EOF
+export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN ARVADOS_API_HOST={{ site.arvados_api_host }}
-bc. $ export ARVADOS_API_HOST={{ site.arvados_api_host }}
-$ export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN=2jv9kd1o39t0pcfu7aueem7a1zjxhak73w90tzq3gx0es7j1ld
+* The @read@ command reads text input until @EOF@ (designated by @<<EOF@) and stores it in the @ARVADOS_API_TOKEN@ environment variable.
+* The @export@ command puts a local shell variable into the environment that will be inherited by child processes such as the @arv@ client.
-* @ARVADOS_API_HOST@ tells @arv@ which host to connect to
-* @ARVADOS_API_TOKEN@ is the secret key used by the Arvados API server to authenticate access.
+h2. Setting the environment manually
-For your convenience, the "API Tokens" Workbench page provides a section at the top of the page that you may copy and paste directly into the shell. It will look something like this:
+Alternately, look for the column *api_token* contains the actual token string that you will use. Copy the value of *api_token* for the first row onto the clipboard.
-bc. ### Pasting the following lines at a shell prompt will allow Arvados SDKs
-### to authenticate to your account, youraddress@example.com
-read ARVADOS_API_TOKEN <<EOF
-2jv9kd1o39t0pcfu7aueem7a1zjxhak73w90tzq3gx0es7j1ld
-EOF
-export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN ARVADOS_API_HOST=qr1hi.arvadosapi.com
+<notextile>
+<pre><code>$ <span class="userinput">export ARVADOS_API_HOST={{ site.arvados_api_host }}</span>
+$ <span class="userinput">export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN=2jv9346o3966345u7ueuim7a1zaaoueo3w90tzq3gx0es7j1ld</span>
+</code></pre>
+</notextile>
+
+* @ARVADOS_API_HOST@ tells @arv@ which host to connect to.
+* @ARVADOS_API_TOKEN@ is the secret key used by the Arvados API server to authenticate access. Its value is the text you copied from the *api_token* column on the Workbench.
+
+If you are connecting to a development instance with a unverified/self-signed SSL certificate, set this variable to skip SSL validation:
+
+<notextile>
+<pre><code>$ <span class="userinput">export ARVADOS_API_HOST_INSECURE=1
+</code></pre>
+</notextile>
+
+h2. settings.conf
+
+Arvados tools will also look for the authentication information in @~/.config/arvados/settings.conf@. If you have already put the variables into the environment following the instructions above, you can use these commands to create an Arvados configuration file:
-* The @read@ command takes the contents of stdin and puts it into the shell variable named on the command line.
-* The @<<EOF@ notation means read each line on stdin and pipe it to the command, terminating on reading the line @EOF@.
-* The @export@ command puts a local shell variable into the environment that will be inherited by child processes (e.g. the @arv@ client).
+<notextile>
+<pre><code>$ <span class="userinput">echo "ARVADOS_API_HOST=$ARVADOS_API_HOST" > ~/.config/arvados/settings.conf</span>
+$ <span class="userinput">echo "ARVADOS_API_TOKEN=$ARVADOS_API_TOKEN" >> ~/.config/arvados/settings.conf</span>
+</code></pre>
+</notextile>
-For your convenience you may add the declarations of @ARVADOS_API_HOST@ and @ARVADOS_API_TOKEN@ to the @~/.bashrc@ file on the system on which you intend to use the Arvados client. If you have already put the variables into the environment with instructions above, you can use these commands to append the environment variables to your @~/.bashrc@:
+h2. .bashrc
-bc. $ echo "export ARVADOS_API_HOST=$ARVADOS_API_HOST" >> ~/.bashrc
-$ echo "export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN=$ARVADOS_API_TOKEN" >> ~/.bashrc
+Alternately, you may add the declarations of @ARVADOS_API_HOST@ and @ARVADOS_API_TOKEN@ to the @~/.bashrc@ file on the system on which you intend to use the Arvados client. If you have already put the variables into the environment following the instructions above, you can use these commands to append the environment variables to your @~/.bashrc@:
+<notextile>
+<pre><code>$ <span class="userinput">echo "export ARVADOS_API_HOST=$ARVADOS_API_HOST" >> ~/.bashrc</span>
+$ <span class="userinput">echo "export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN=$ARVADOS_API_TOKEN" >> ~/.bashrc</span>
+</code></pre>
+</notextile>
projects / arvados.git / blobdiff