--- title: Create a token seotitle: Create an API token in InfluxDB description: Create an API token in InfluxDB using the InfluxDB UI, the `influx` CLI, or the InfluxDB API. aliases: - /influxdb/v2.4/users/tokens/create-token/ menu: influxdb_2_4: name: Create a token parent: Manage tokens weight: 201 --- Create API tokens using the InfluxDB user interface (UI), the `influx` command line interface (CLI), or the InfluxDB API. {{% note %}} {{% oss-only %}}Tokens are visible to the user who created the token. Users who own a token with operator permissions also have access to all tokens. Tokens stop working when the user who created the token is deleted. **We recommend creating a generic user to create and manage tokens for writing data.** {{% /oss-only %}} {{% cloud-only %}} To follow best practices for secure API token generation and retrieval, InfluxDB Cloud enforces access restrictions on API tokens. - Tokens are visible to the user who created the token. - InfluxDB Cloud UI only allows access to the API token value immediately after the token is created. - You can't change access (**read/write**) permissions for an API token after it's created. - Tokens stop working when the user who created the token is deleted. **We recommend the following for managing your tokens:** - Create a generic user to create and manage tokens for writing data. - Store your tokens in a secure password vault for future access. {{% /cloud-only %}} {{% /note %}} - [Manage tokens in the InfluxDB UI](#manage-tokens-in-the-influxdb-ui) - [Create a token in the InfluxDB UI](#create-a-token-in-the-influxdb-ui) - [Create a token using the influx CLI](#create-a-token-using-the-influx-cli) - [Create a token using the InfluxDB API](#create-a-token-using-the-influxdb-api) ## Manage tokens in the InfluxDB UI To manage InfluxDB API Tokens in the InfluxDB UI, navigate to the **API Tokens** management page. {{% oss-only %}} In the navigation menu on the left, select **Data (Load Data)** > **Tokens**. {{% /oss-only %}} {{% cloud-only %}} In the navigation menu on the left, select **Load Data** > **API Tokens**. {{% /cloud-only %}} {{< nav-icon "load-data" >}} ## Create a token in the InfluxDB UI {{% oss-only %}} 1. From the [API Tokens management page](#manage-tokens-in-the-influxdb-ui), click **{{< icon "plus" >}} Generate** and select a token type (**Read/Write Token** or **All Access API Token**). 2. In the window that appears, enter a description for your token in the **Description** field. 3. If generating a **read/write token**: - Search for and select buckets to read from in the **Read** pane. - Search for and select buckets to write to in the **Write** pane. 4. Click **Save**. {{% /oss-only %}} {{% cloud-only %}} ### Create an all-access token 1. From the [API Tokens management page](https://cloud2.influxdata.com/me/tokens), click the **{{< icon "plus" >}} {{< caps >}}Generate API Token{{< /caps >}}** button. 2. Select **All Access API Token**. ### Create a custom token 1. From the [API Tokens management page](https://cloud2.influxdata.com/me/tokens), click the **{{< icon "plus" >}} {{< caps >}}Generate API Token{{< /caps >}}** button. 2. Select **Custom API Token**. 3. When the **Generate a Personal API Token** window appears, enter a description. If you don't provide a description for the token, InfluxDB will generate a description from the permissions you assign. For example, if you select **Read** for a bucket named "\_monitoring" and **Write** for a bucket named "\_tasks", InfluxDB will generate the description "Read buckets \_monitoring Write buckets \_tasks". 4. Select the check boxes in the **Read** and **Write** columns to assign access permissions for the token. You can enable access to all buckets, individual buckets, Telegraf configurations, and other InfluxDB resources. By default, the new token has no access permissions. 5. When you're finished, click **{{< caps >}}Generate{{< /caps >}}**. 6. When InfluxDB displays the token value, click **{{< caps >}}Copy to Clipboard{{< /caps >}}**. This is your only chance to access and copy the token value from InfluxDB. 7. (Optional) Store the API token value in a secure password vault. ### Clone a token To create a token with the same authorizations as an existing token, clone the existing token. 1. From the [API Tokens management page](https://cloud2.influxdata.com/me/tokens), find the token you want to clone and click the **{{< icon "settings" >}}** icon located far right of the token description. 3. Select **Clone**. 3. When InfluxDB UI displays the created token, click **{{< caps >}}Copy to Clipboard{{< /caps >}}**. This is your only chance to access and copy the token value from InfluxDB. 4. (Optional) Store the API token value in a secure password vault. {{% /cloud-only %}} ## Create a token using the influx CLI {{% warn %}} InfluxDB 2.4 introduced a bug that prevents you from creating an **all-access** or **operator** token using the `influx auth create` command, and causes the following error: `Error: could not write auth with provided arguments: 403 Forbidden: permission.` Until this bug is resolved in the next influx CLI release, please use the [workaround below to create an all-access or operator token](/influxdb/v2.4/security/tokens/create-token/#workaround-to-create-an-all-access-or-operator-token). {{% /warn %}} ### **Workaround:** To create an all-access or operator token - Use the following command to create an [all-access](/influxdb/v2.4/security/tokens/#all-access-token) or [operator](/influxdb/v2.4/security/tokens/#operator-token) token. For an operator token, you must also include the `--read-orgs` and `--write-orgs` flags. ```sh influx auth create --org-id or --org \ --read-authorizations \ --write-authorizations \ --read-buckets \ --write-buckets \ --read-dashboards \ --write-dashboards \ --read-tasks \ --write-tasks \ --read-telegrafs \ --write-telegrafs \ --read-users \ --write-users \ --read-variables \ --write-variables \ --read-secrets \ --write-secrets \ --read-labels \ --write-labels \ --read-views \ --write-views \ --read-documents \ --write-documents \ --read-notificationRules \ --write-notificationRules \ --read-notificationEndpoints \ --write-notificationEndpoints \ --read-checks \ --write-checks \ --read-dbrp \ --write-dbrp \ --read-annotations \ --write-annotations \ --read-sources \ --write-sources \ --read-scrapers \ --write-scrapers \ --read-notebooks \ --write-notebooks \ --read-remotes \ --write-remotes \ --read-replications \ --write-replications ```