Authentication & API Keys

Authenticate Kilo IoT API requests with scoped keys — X-API-Key and X-Organization-Id headers, per-integration keys.

An API key is the credential an external integration sends to authenticate its requests to Kilo IoT Server. Its scopes are the allowed operations, such as reading devices or writing a supported resource. The key is bound to one organization, the shared workspace whose data the integration uses.

Create a key with the required scopes in Settings → API Keys. For REST or gRPC requests authenticated through the public API gateway, supply both the key and its matching organization identifier. The gateway validates the credential, checks the required scopes, and checks the organization match.

How requests authenticate

• X-API-Key — your API key (format kilo_<key>). Send it on every request.

• X-Organization-Id — the organization the request acts in. It must match the organization the key was created in. This header is required by the authentication gateway. If an operation also uses an organizationId query parameter, it does not replace the header.

All requests are over TLS.

Scopes

Keys are scoped. Most areas have separate Read and Write scopes; some — such as telemetry and subscription data — are read-only. A key grants only what you select when you create it, so grant only the scopes the integration needs. Each endpoint in the API reference lists the scope it requires.

The Create API Key dialog asks for a name, an optional expiry date, and the scopes themselves — every scope starts unchecked, so a key grants nothing until you say so.

Handling keys safely

• The full key value is shown once at creation; only a short prefix is visible afterward. Store it immediately in a secrets manager or vault.

• Use a separate key per integration so one can be revoked without disrupting the others.

• Rotate or revoke a key immediately if it may be exposed; rotation is the only recovery path for a lost key.

• Never embed a key in client-side code or commit it to source control.