---
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:
+Access the Arvados Workbench using this link: "{{site.arvados_workbench_host}}/":{{site.arvados_workbench_host}}/ (Replace @{{ site.arvados_api_host }}@ with the hostname of your local Arvados instance if necessary.)
-"https://workbench.{{ site.arvados_api_host }}/":https://workbench.{{ site.arvados_api_host }}/
+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 (instructions for "Unix":{{site.baseurl}}/user/getting_started/ssh-access-unix.html#login or "Windows":{{site.baseurl}}/user/getting_started/ssh-access-windows.html#login).
-(Replace @{{ site.arvados_api_host }}@ with the hostname of your local Arvados instance if necessary.)
+Click on the link with your _email address_ in the upper right corner to access your account menu, then click on the menu item *Manage account* to go to the account management page. On the *Manage account* page, you will see the *Current Token* panel, which lists your current token and instructions to set up your environment.
-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.
+h2. Setting environment variables
-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):
+For your convenience, the *Manage account* page on Workbench provides the *Current Token* panel that includes a command you may copy and paste directly into the shell. It will look something as the following.
-bc. $ export ARVADOS_API_HOST={{ site.arvados_api_host }}
-$ export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN=2jv9kd1o39t0pcfu7aueem7a1zjxhak73w90tzq3gx0es7j1ld
+bc. HISTIGNORE=$HISTIGNORE:'export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN=*'
+export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN=2jv9346o396exampledonotuseexampledonotuseexes7j1ld
+export ARVADOS_API_HOST={{ site.arvados_api_host }}
+unset ARVADOS_API_HOST_INSECURE
-* @ARVADOS_API_HOST@ tells @arv@ which host to connect to
-* @ARVADOS_API_TOKEN@ is the secret key used by the Arvados API server to authenticate access.
+* The @export@ command puts a local shell variable into the environment that will be inherited by child processes such as the @arv@ client.
-For your convenience, the "API Tokens" Workbench page provides a section at the top of the page that you may copy and paste directly into the shell. It will look something like this:
+h2. settings.conf
-bc. ### Pasting the following lines at a shell prompt will allow Arvados SDKs
-### to authenticate to your account, youraddress@example.com
-read ARVADOS_API_TOKEN <<EOF
-2jv9kd1o39t0pcfu7aueem7a1zjxhak73w90tzq3gx0es7j1ld
-EOF
-export ARVADOS_API_TOKEN ARVADOS_API_HOST=qr1hi.arvadosapi.com
+Arvados tools will also look for the authentication information in @~/.config/arvados/settings.conf@. If you have already put the variables into the environment following the instructions above, you can use these commands to create an Arvados configuration file:
-* The @read@ command takes the contents of stdin and puts it into the shell variable named on the command line.
-* The @<<EOF@ notation means read each line on stdin and pipe it to the command, terminating on reading the line @EOF@.
-* The @export@ command puts a local shell variable into the environment that will be inherited by child processes (e.g. the @arv@ client).
+<notextile>
+<pre><code>$ <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>
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