# API Keys

API keys provide programmatic access for CI/CD pipelines, scripts, and server-to-server communication.

## Creating API Keys

Create API keys from [Account UI](/ui/account/features/api-keys) (`/api-keys`, linked from profile). Each key is owned by you and scoped to an organization.

## Usage

```bash
QUICKBACK_API_KEY=your_api_key quickback compile
```

API keys are validated by the same `/internal/validate` endpoint as session tokens. See [Authentication](/tooling/cloud-compiler/authentication) for details.