How to Access HuggingFace API key?

Last Updated : 02 Jul, 2025

HuggingFace is a popular platform in AI and Machine learning community. it provides a vast range of pre-trained models, datasets and tools for natural language processing (NLP). One of the key features of HuggingFace is its API which allows developers to seamlessly integrate these models into their applications. To access and use the HuggingFace API, we first need to obtain an API key.

In this article, we will walk through the steps to access the HuggingFace API key.

Step 1: Creating a HuggingFace Account

If you don’t already have a Hugging Face account, the first step is to create one. Follow these steps:

Visit the HuggingFace Website: Go to HuggingFace.co and click on the "Sign Up" button.
Sign Up: You can sign up using your email address, GitHub or Google account. Fill in the necessary details and complete the registration process.
Verify Your Email: After signing up, you will receive a verification email. Click on the link in the email to verify your account.

Once you’ve successfully created and verified your account, we’re ready to access API key.

Step 2: Navigating to the API Key Section

After logging into your HuggingFace account, follow these steps to find the API key:

Go to Your Profile: Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen and select "Settings" from the dropdown menu.

Access API Keys: In the settings page, look for the "Access Tokens" section. This is where you can generate and manage your API keys.

Step 3: Generating Your API Key

To generate a new API key, do the following:

Click on Generate New API Key: In the Access Tokens section, there should be an option to create a new token. Click on it.

Name Your API Key: You might be asked to name your key, especially if you plan to generate multiple keys for different projects.

Generate the Key: Once named, click on the "Create token" button. Your new API key will be displayed. Make sure to copy it, as this is the only time it will be fully visible.

Note: Keep your API key secure and do not share it publicly. Anyone with access to your key can use it to make requests to the HuggingFace API under your account.

Step 4: Using Your API Key

Now that you have your API key, you can use it to authenticate requests to the HuggingFace API. Here’s how to use it:

In Python: If you're using the HuggingFace Python library (transformers), you can authenticate by setting the environment variable HUGGINGFACE_API_KEY or by passing the key directly when initializing the client.

Python

from transformers import pipeline

# Set up pipeline with API key
generator = pipeline('text-generation', api_key='your_api_key_here')

In HTTP Requests: If you’re making direct HTTP requests, include the API key in the headers.

Python

import requests

headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer your_api_key_here',
}

response = requests.get('https://api.huggingface.co/endpoint', headers=headers)

Step 5: Managing and Revoking API Keys

You may need to manage your API keys, especially if you suspect that your key has been compromised. Here’s how to manage and revoke your keys:

View All API Keys: In the "API Keys" section of your account settings, you can view all the keys you’ve generated.
Revoke a Key: To revoke a key, simply click on the "Revoke" button next to the key you want to invalidate. This will immediately stop the key from being used.

Accessing and using the HuggingFace API key is simple, but it’s important to handle it securely. By following the outlined steps, you can efficiently generate and utilize the API key to integrate advanced NLP models into your applications.