Getting Started with Your API Key

Your API key is required to authenticate all requests to the FFmpeg Micro API.

Getting Your API Key

Navigate to API Keys

Click "Create New API Key"

Copy the key immediately (you won't be able to see it again)

Using Your API Key

Include your API key in the Authorization header of every request:

curl -X POST https://api.ffmpeg-micro.com/v1/transcodes \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "inputs": [...] }'

Key Verification

To check that a key works, list your jobs. This call creates nothing and uses no tokens:

curl https://api.ffmpeg-micro.com/v1/transcodes \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

A working key answers 200 with a JSON object holding items, page, limit and total. On a new account items is an empty list and total is 0.

Security Best Practices

Never commit API keys to version control. Use environment variables instead.

Rotate keys regularly. Create a new key and delete the old one from your dashboard.

Use separate keys for development and production. This makes it easier to track usage and revoke access if needed.

Store keys in environment variables, a secrets manager, or a secure vault.

Common Issues

401 with "Authorization required": the request has no Authorization header, or the header does not start with Bearer followed by a space.

401 with "Invalid API key": the API does not recognise the key. Either it was copied with a character missing or with extra whitespace, or it has been revoked in the dashboard. A revoked key cannot be turned back on, so create a new one.

402 Payment Required: the key is fine and the account has nothing left to process with. The response carries an upgrade_url. See How to Check Your Usage and Quota.

Next Steps