---
title: "CLI Authentication"
description: "Set up API key authentication for the Edge CLI."
url: https://edge.network/docs/cli/authentication/
---

# CLI Authentication

CLI

# Authentication

Authenticate the CLI with your Edge account using API keys.

1

## Generate an API Key

Create an API key in your Edge account:

- Go to [Account → API Keys](https://account.edge.network/api-keys)
- Click **Create API Key**
- Give it a name (e.g., "CLI - MacBook")
- Copy the key immediately — it won't be shown again

Important

API keys have the same permissions as your user account. Keep them secure and never commit them to version control.

2

## Log In

### Interactive Login

Run the login command and paste your API key when prompted:

```
$ edge auth login
? Enter your API key: ek_live_••••••••••••••••••••••••

✓ Authenticated successfully
  Account: Acme Corp
  User: john@example.com
```

### Non-Interactive Login

Pass the key directly (useful for scripts):

```
edge auth login --key ek_live_abc123def456...
```

## Check Authentication Status

```
$ edge auth status
✓ Authenticated

Account:  Acme Corp
User:     john@example.com
Key:      ek_live_abc1****
Expires:  Never
```

## Log Out

Remove stored credentials:

```
$ edge auth logout
✓ Credentials removed
```

## Environment Variable

You can also authenticate using the `EDGE_API_KEY` environment variable:

```
# Set for current session
export EDGE_API_KEY=ek_live_abc123def456...

# Or add to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc)
echo 'export EDGE_API_KEY=ek_live_abc123...' >> ~/.zshrc
```

The environment variable takes precedence over the stored config file.

## Config File Location

Credentials are stored in:

- `~/.edge/config.json` macOS / Linux
- `%USERPROFILE%\.edge\config.json` Windows

Example config:

```
{
  "api_key": "ek_live_abc123def456...",
  "default_region": "london",
  "output": "table"
}
```

## CI/CD Integration

Use environment variables in your CI/CD pipelines:

```
# GitHub Actions example
jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      
      - name: Install Edge CLI
        run: curl -fsSL https://edge.network/install.sh | sh
      
      - name: Deploy
        env:
          EDGE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.EDGE_API_KEY }}
        run: |
          edge cdn purge my-deployment
          edge storage sync ./dist my-bucket/app/
```

Tip

Create a dedicated API key for CI/CD with a descriptive name like "GitHub Actions - Production".

## Authentication Priority

The CLI checks for credentials in this order:

- **Command-line flag:** `--api-key`
- **Environment variable:** `EDGE_API_KEY`
- **Config file:** `~/.edge/config.json`

## Activity Tracking

All actions performed via the CLI are logged in your [account activity log](https://edge.network/docs/account/audit-log) with full attribution:

- **Source badge:** CLI actions are tagged with a CLI badge to distinguish them from web or API actions
- **User attribution:** For accounts with team members, the activity log shows which user performed each action
- **Full audit trail:** All create, update, and delete operations are logged with timestamps

This helps teams track automated deployments, distinguish CI/CD activity from manual changes, and maintain compliance records.

## Next Steps

[Compute Commands Manage virtual machines](https://edge.network/docs/cli/compute) [Configuration Customize CLI settings](https://edge.network/docs/cli/configuration)
[Back to Docs](https://edge.network/docs) [Need help?](https://edge.network/support)