Authentication

Daytona authenticates SDK, CLI, and API requests with a project API key. The key identifies the project that owns the sandboxes you create and carries the permissions a request may use.

Get an API key

1. Go to Daytona Dashboard ↗
2. Select the project in the header switcher
3. Click Create API Key
4. Enter Key Name
5. Select write:sandboxes permission
6. Click Create API Key
7. Copy and save the API key as an environment variable

Environment variables

Daytona resolves configuration in order of precedence:

1. Configuration in code
2. Environment variables

.env file

DAYTONA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY

Shell

export DAYTONA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY

Authenticate the SDK

Construct the client without arguments to read the environment variables, or pass the configuration in code. Every call made through the client sends the API key or, with a JWT, a short-lived project token the client exchanges the JWT for.

from daytona import Daytona, DaytonaConfig

# Using environment variables
daytona = Daytona()

# Using explicit configuration
config = DaytonaConfig(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")

daytona = Daytona(config)

# Pick the region per create
sandbox = daytona.v2.create(region="earth")

Close the client

Close the client when your program no longer needs it. The client holds network resources between calls, such as the connection that reports sandbox state changes, and closing it releases them. Closing does not stop or delete any sandbox. Closing an already closed client does nothing.

from daytona import Daytona

# Close the client when the block exits
with Daytona() as daytona:
    sandbox = daytona.v2.create()

# Close the client explicitly
daytona = Daytona()
sandbox = daytona.v2.create()
daytona.close()

Authenticate the CLI

Sign in once and the CLI saves the session in its active profile, so following commands need no key or flags. After a browser or device login, the CLI selects your personal organization and its default project the first time and remembers your last selection afterwards. Sandbox commands use a short-lived platform token where the deployment issues one. Toolbox access, and sandbox commands on other deployments, use a project API key the CLI mints on your behalf with a 24-hour expiry; logging out attempts to revoke these keys.

# Browser login
daytona login --api-url https://api.daytona.com

# Device-code login on a host without a browser
daytona login --device --api-url https://api.daytona.com

# Store an API key in the active profile
daytona login --token YOUR_API_KEY --api-url https://api.daytona.com

# Confirm who you are and what is selected
daytona whoami

# Create a sandbox with the saved session
daytona sandbox create

# Remove the saved session from this machine
daytona logout

# Using environment variables (DAYTONA_API_KEY, DAYTONA_API_URL)
daytona sandbox create

# Using explicit flags
daytona sandbox create --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --api-url https://api.daytona.com

Profiles

A profile is a named connection: an API URL, a credential, and the selected organization and project. One machine can keep several profiles, for example one per organization or deployment, and switch between them without signing in again. A command uses the profile it names, then the profile in the environment, then the active profile, then the profile named default. Signing in to a new profile creates it, and makes it active only when no profile is active yet. Deleting the active profile makes default active when it exists, otherwise no profile is active.

# Sign in to a second profile
daytona login --profile work --api-url https://api.daytona.com

# List profiles
daytona profile list

# Run one command with another profile
daytona sandbox list --profile work

# Make a profile active for following commands
daytona profile use work

# Delete a profile and its saved credentials
daytona profile delete work

Confirmation prompts

At a terminal, the CLI asks for confirmation before destructive and billable commands. The setting applies to every profile on the machine. Turning it off removes the prompt only: when the CLI is not attached to a terminal, prints JSON or YAML, or runs with the CI environment variable set, those commands still require an explicit confirmation.

# Turn off confirmation prompts
daytona config set confirm false

# Print the current value
daytona config get confirm

# Print the directory that holds profiles, credentials, and settings
daytona config path

Authenticate API requests

Send the API key as a bearer token in the authorization header of every request.

curl 'https://api.daytona.com/sandboxes' \
  --request POST \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
  --data '{}'