[中文](key-auth-cn.md) [英文](key-auth.md)

# Summary
- [**Name**](#name)
- [**Attributes**](#attributes)
- [**How To Enable**](#how-to-enable)
- [**Test Plugin**](#test-plugin)
- [**Disable Plugin**](#disable-plugin)


## Name

`key-auth` is an authentication plugin, it should work with `consumer` together.

Add Key Authentication (also sometimes referred to as an API key) to a Service or a Route. Consumers then add their key either in a querystring parameter or a header to authenticate their requests.

## Attributes

* `key`: different consumer objects should use different values, it should be unique.

## How To Enable

Two steps are required:

1. creates a consumer object, and set the attributes of plugin `key-auth`.

```shell
    curl http://127.0.0.1:9080/apisix/admin/consumers -X PUT -d '
{
    "username": "jack",
	"plugins": {
		"key-auth": {
			"key": "keykey"
		}
	}
}'
```

2. creates a route or service object, and enable plugin `key-auth`.

```shell
curl http://127.0.0.1:9080/apisix/admin/routes/1 -X PUT -d '
{
	"methods": ["GET"],
	"uri": "/index.html",
	"id": 1,
	"plugins": {
		"key-auth": {}
	},
	"upstream": {
		"type": "roundrobin",
		"nodes": {
			"39.97.63.215:80": 1
		}
	}
}'
```

## Test Plugin

Here is a correct test example:

```shell
$ curl http://127.0.0.2:9080/index.html -H 'apikey: keykey' -i
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
...
```

If the request does not set `apikey` correctly, will get a `401` response.

```shell
$ curl http://127.0.0.2:9080/index.html -i
HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
...
{"message":"Missing API key found in request"}

$ curl http://127.0.0.2:9080/index.html -H 'apikey: abcabcabc' -i
HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
...
{"message":"Invalid API key in request"}
```

## Disable Plugin

When you want to disable the limit req plugin, it is very simple,
 you can delete the corresponding json configuration in the plugin configuration,
  no need to restart the service, it will take effect immediately:

```shell
$ curl http://127.0.0.1:2379/v2/keys/apisix/routes/1 -X PUT -d value='
{
	"methods": ["GET"],
	"uri": "/index.html",
	"id": 1,
	"plugins": {
	},
	"upstream": {
		"type": "roundrobin",
		"nodes": {
			"39.97.63.215:80": 1
		}
	}
}'
```

The limit req plugin has been disabled now. It works for other plugins.