Authentication

Set up your API key and configure the Daytona SDK

The Daytona SDK uses API keys to authenticate requests. You can generate and manage your API keys from the Daytona dashboard.

Getting your API key

1. Sign up or log in

   Go to app.daytona.io and create an account or log in

2. Navigate to API keys

   Click on your profile and go to Dashboard > API Keys

3. Generate a new key

   Click “Generate New API Key” and give it a descriptive name

4. Copy and store securely

   Copy the API key immediately - you won’t be able to see it again

Never commit your API key to version control or share it publicly. Treat it like a password.

Configuration methods

There are two main ways to configure the SDK with your API key:

Environment variables (recommended)

The simplest and most secure method is to use environment variables:

export DAYTONA_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Then initialize the SDK without explicitly passing the key:

Python

from daytona import Daytona

# Automatically uses DAYTONA_API_KEY from environment
daytona = Daytona()

Configuration object

You can also pass the API key directly in your code:

Python

from daytona import Daytona, DaytonaConfig

config = DaytonaConfig(
    api_key="your-api-key",
    api_url="https://app.daytona.io/api",  # Optional
    target="us"  # Optional
)
daytona = Daytona(config)

When passing the API key directly in code, make sure to:

• Never commit it to version control
• Use environment variables or a secrets manager
• Keep your API key in a .env file that’s in .gitignore

Environment variables reference

Variable	Description	Required	Default
DAYTONA_API_KEY	Your Daytona API key	Yes	-
DAYTONA_API_URL	The Daytona API endpoint	No	https://app.daytona.io/api
DAYTONA_TARGET	Target region for sandboxes	No	us

Using .env files

For local development, you can use a .env file to store your API key:

1. Create a .env file

   Create a file named .env in your project root:

   DAYTONA_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
   DAYTONA_TARGET=us
   
2. Add to .gitignore

   Make sure .env is in your .gitignore:

   echo ".env" >> .gitignore
   
3. Load environment variables

   Use a library to load the .env file:

   Python

   pip install python-dotenv
   

   from dotenv import load_dotenv
   from daytona import Daytona
   
   load_dotenv()
   daytona = Daytona()
   

   TypeScript

   npm install dotenv
   

   import 'dotenv/config'
   import { Daytona } from '@daytonaio/sdk'
   
   const daytona = new Daytona()
   

   Go

   go get github.com/joho/godotenv
   

   import (
       "github.com/joho/godotenv"
       "github.com/daytonaio/daytona/libs/sdk-go/pkg/daytona"
   )
   
   func main() {
       godotenv.Load()
       client, _ := daytona.NewClient()
   }
   

   Ruby

   gem install dotenv
   

   require 'dotenv/load'
   require 'daytona'
   
   daytona = Daytona::Daytona.new
   

Production best practices

For production deployments:

Use environment variables

Always use environment variables or a secrets manager (AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, etc.) instead of hardcoding API keys.

Rotate keys regularly

Generate new API keys periodically and revoke old ones:

1. Generate a new key in the dashboard
2. Update your production environment
3. Revoke the old key after confirming the new one works

Use separate keys per environment

Create different API keys for development, staging, and production:

# Development
DAYTONA_API_KEY=dev_key_here

# Staging
DAYTONA_API_KEY=staging_key_here

# Production
DAYTONA_API_KEY=prod_key_here

Monitor API key usage

Regularly check your API key usage in the Daytona dashboard to detect:

• Unusual activity patterns
• Compromised keys
• Rate limit issues

Verifying authentication

To verify your API key is working correctly:

Python

from daytona import Daytona

try:
    daytona = Daytona()
    sandboxes = daytona.list()
    print(f"✓ Authentication successful! You have {sandboxes.total} sandboxes.")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"✗ Authentication failed: {e}")

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized error

This means your API key is invalid or missing. Check that:

• The API key is correctly copied from the dashboard
• The environment variable is properly set
• The API key hasn’t been revoked

Try regenerating a new API key if the issue persists.

Environment variable not loading

Make sure you’ve exported the variable in your current shell:

echo $DAYTONA_API_KEY

If empty, export it again or add it to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.).

Connection errors

If you’re getting connection errors:

• Verify your internet connection
• Check if you’re behind a proxy or firewall
• Ensure DAYTONA_API_URL is set correctly if using a custom endpoint

Next steps

Quickstart

Create your first sandbox in under 5 minutes

SDK guides

Learn about SDK configuration options for all languages