Obtain a Token from the Dashboard

API7 Enterprise uses Dashboard-created tokens for authenticated access. Across the docs, the same token can be used as the X-API-KEY value in API7 Enterprise Admin API requests or as ADC_TOKEN when using ADC.

For routine API access, sign in with a non-root user and create a token for that user instead of using the initial Super Admin account.

Before You Begin

• A running API7 Gateway instance with Dashboard access.
• A non-root user account with the permissions required for the resources you want to manage.

If you only have the initial administrator account, sign in as Super Admin, create or invite a user, assign the required role, and then sign in with that user before creating a token. For details, see User Management and Role-Based Access Control.

Create a Token in the Dashboard

1. Sign in to the Dashboard with your non-root user account.
2. In the sidebar, navigate to Organization -> Tokens.
3. Click Create Token.
4. Enter a name and any other required settings.
5. Copy the generated token and store it securely.

Use the Token

Set the token as an environment variable for Admin API examples:

export API_KEY="a7ee-xxxxxxxxxxxxx"

Use it in API7 Enterprise Admin API requests:

If you are not running locally, replace localhost with your Dashboard or Admin API host.

curl -k "https://localhost:7443/api/users" -X GET \
  -H "X-API-KEY: ${API_KEY}"

You can use the same token for:

• API7 Enterprise Admin API requests under /api/* and /apisix/admin/*
• ADC authentication as ADC_TOKEN

Security Notes

• Treat the token like a password and do not commit it to source control.
• Create separate tokens for different users or automation workflows when possible.
• Revoke tokens you no longer need.