API keys authenticate your CLI deployments. Each deployment requires a valid API key linked to an active subscription.

Key Format

API keys are 16-character lowercase alphanumeric strings:

gv60gskk9fvso4ym

Using Your API Key

export PREV_API_KEY="your-api-key"
prev create .

CLI Flag

prev create . --api-key your-api-key

Configuration File

Add to ~/.prev.yaml:

api_key: your-api-key

Individual Plan

On the Individual plan, you receive one API key that is automatically generated when you subscribe.

  • View your key in the dashboard
  • Copy the full key to your clipboard
  • See when the key was created and last used
  • The key cannot be deleted (you must always have at least one)

Business Plan

Business plan users can create and manage unlimited API keys — ideal for teams.

Creating Keys

  • Go to Dashboard > API Keys
  • Click Create API Key
  • Optionally set a label, max environments limit, and IP allowlist
  • The key is generated and displayed once — copy it immediately

    • Key Labels

    Label keys to identify who or what uses them:

    • Frontend Team
    • CI/CD Pipeline
    • Developer: John

    Per-Key Environment Limits

    Set a maximum number of concurrent environments each key can create. This prevents any single team member from using all available slots.

    Per-Key IP Allowlists

    Restrict which IP addresses can use a specific API key. Uses CIDR notation:

    10.0.0.0/8, 192.168.1.0/24

    You can also lock the allowlist to prevent the CLI --ip-allow flag from adding additional IPs.

    Revoking Keys

    Deleting an API key that has active environments will also destroy those environments. The dashboard will warn you and show the count of affected environments before confirming.