---
title: stack es security create-api-key cli command
description: Create an API key. Behaviour flags: --dry-run — validate all inputs and exit without performing any action 
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4089/reference/elastic-cli/cli/stack/es/security/create-api-key
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless: Preview
  - Elastic Stack: Preview
---

# stack es security create-api-key cli command
<cli-modifiers>
</cli-modifiers>

```bash
elastic stack es security create-api-key [options]
```

Create an API key.
**Behaviour flags:**
`--dry-run` — validate all inputs and exit without performing any action

## Options

<definitions>
  <definition term="--refresh enum">
    If `true` (the default) then refresh the affected shards to make this operation visible to search, if `wait_for` then wait for a refresh to make this operation visible to search, if `false` then do nothing with refreshes.
    **Values:** true, false, wait_for
  </definition>
  <definition term="--expiration string">
    The expiration time for the API key.
    By default, API keys never expire.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--name string">
    A name for the API key.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--role-descriptors string">
    An array of role descriptors for this API key.
    When it is not specified or it is an empty array, the API key will have a point in time snapshot of permissions of the authenticated user.
    If you supply role descriptors, the resultant permissions are an intersection of API keys permissions and the authenticated user's permissions thereby limiting the access scope for API keys.
    The structure of role descriptor is the same as the request for the create role API.
    For more details, refer to the create or update roles API. NOTE: Due to the way in which this permission intersection is calculated, it is not possible to create an API key that is a child of another API key, unless the derived key is created without any privileges.
    In this case, you must explicitly specify a role descriptor with no privileges.
    The derived API key can be used for authentication; it will not have authority to call Elasticsearch APIs.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--metadata string">
    Arbitrary metadata that you want to associate with the API key. It supports nested data structure. Within the metadata object, keys beginning with `_` are reserved for system usage.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--error-trace">
    When set to `true` Elasticsearch will include the full stack trace of errors
    when they occur.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--filter-path string">
    Comma-separated list of filters in dot notation which reduce the response
    returned by Elasticsearch.
    **Repeatable:** pass `--filter-path` multiple times to supply more than one value
  </definition>
  <definition term="--human">
    When set to `true` will return statistics in a format suitable for humans.
    For example `"exists_time": "1h"` for humans and
    `"exists_time_in_millis": 3600000` for computers. When disabled the human
    readable values will be omitted. This makes sense for responses being consumed
    only by machines.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--pretty">
    If set to `true` the returned JSON will be "pretty-formatted". Only use
    this option for debugging only.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--input-file string">
    path to a JSON file to use as command input
  </definition>
  <definition term="--dry-run">
    validate all inputs and exit without performing any action (preview changes without applying them)
  </definition>
</definitions>


## Global Options

<definitions>
  <definition term="--json">
    output as JSON
  </definition>
</definitions>