---
title: Get started · Cloudflare Fundamentals docs
description: Using the Cloudflare API requires authentication so that Cloudflare
  knows who is making requests and what permissions you have. Create an API
  token to grant access to the API to perform actions.
lastUpdated: 2025-08-20T18:47:44.000Z
chatbotDeprioritize: true
source_url:
  html: https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/api/get-started/
  md: https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/api/get-started/index.md
---

Using the Cloudflare API requires authentication so that Cloudflare knows who is making requests and what permissions you have. [Create an API token](https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/api/get-started/create-token/) to grant access to the API to perform actions.

Note

You can also authenticate with [API keys](https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/api/get-started/keys/), but these keys have [several limitations](https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/api/get-started/keys/#limitations) that make them less secure than API tokens. Whenever possible, use API tokens to interact with the Cloudflare API.

* [Create API token](https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/api/get-started/create-token/)
* [Get Global API key (legacy)](https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/api/get-started/keys/)
* [Get Origin CA keys](https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/api/get-started/ca-keys/)
* [Account API tokens](https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/api/get-started/account-owned-tokens/)
