Authentication
Authenticate the Daytona SDKs, CLI, and API to create sandboxes.
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
- Go to Daytona Dashboard ↗
- Click Create API Key
- Enter Key Name
- Select write:sandboxes permission
- Click Create API Key
- Copy and save the API key as an environment variable
Environment variables
Daytona resolves configuration in order of precedence:
- Configuration in code
- Environment variables
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
DAYTONA_API_KEY | Your Daytona API key. Required. |
DAYTONA_JWT_TOKEN | A JWT instead of an API key. Optional; needs DAYTONA_PROJECT_ID |
DAYTONA_PROJECT_ID | The project a JWT is scoped to. Required with DAYTONA_JWT_TOKEN |
.env
DAYTONA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEYShell
export DAYTONA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEYAuthenticate 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.
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="us")Each DaytonaConfig field falls back to its environment variable independently. The client has no API URL or region field: every create takes a region, and the API picks the project, organization, or platform default when it is omitted.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
api_key | str | Falls back to DAYTONA_API_KEY. When neither this nor jwt_token is set, the client constructor raises UnauthorizedError. |
jwt_token | str | A JWT instead of an API key. Falls back to DAYTONA_JWT_TOKEN. Needs project_id; setting both api_key and jwt_token raises BadRequestError. |
project_id | str | The project a JWT is scoped to. Falls back to DAYTONA_PROJECT_ID. |
request_timeout | float | Per-request HTTP timeout in seconds. 0 disables the timeout. |
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 then mint a short-lived project API key on your behalf, which expires with the session.
# 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| Flag | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
--api-key | string | Takes precedence over DAYTONA_API_KEY. Either one replaces the saved login for that command. |
--api-url | string | Takes precedence over DAYTONA_API_URL, and either one overrides the URL stored in the profile. |
--profile | string | Selects a profile other than the active one. DAYTONA_PROFILE does the same. |
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 '{}'