Support / Knowledge base / API keys
Creating and managing API keys
An API key authenticates your requests to the riverArk API. Keep it secure and never share it publicly. If you run multiple machines or integrations, riverArk recommends a separate key for each one rather than reusing a single key everywhere.
Create a key
Sign in at ark.riverark.io and open API Keys in the sidebar. Under Create API Key:
Name. Something you will recognize later, such as the machine or integration it authenticates.
Expiry. Choose Never Expire. That is the right setting for most setups, including machines, because a key that expires stops that machine from taking payments until it is replaced. The dated options (30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 1 year) are mostly for software integrations and temporary uses such as testing. If a key is no longer needed, revoke it.
Abilities. Keep all four checked: View Invoice, List Invoice, Create Invoice, and Cancel Invoice. Machines and checkout integrations use each of them while taking payments.
Click Create API Key. Copy the new key as soon as it is displayed. It will never be displayed again. If you lose it, you will need to create a new one. Paste it straight into your machine or integration's configuration, not into a chat message, ticket, or spreadsheet.
riverArk support will never ask you for an API key. If you have already pasted one somewhere it should not be, revoke it and create a new one.
Manage existing keys
The Your API Keys section on the same page lists every key on your account: its name, the abilities it carries, when it was created, when it was last used, and its expiry. Each key has a Revoke button.
Revoking a key takes effect immediately and cannot be undone. Any integration still using that key starts failing authentication right away, so rotate a key by creating the new one and updating your integration before you revoke the old one.