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API Keys ​

Every LNbits wallet has an Admin key (full access) and an Invoice key (receive-only). Use the right key for each operation.

Every LNbits wallet has two API keys with different permission levels.

Key types ​

KeyHeaderPermissions
Admin keyX-Api-Key: <admin_key>Full access - send, receive, read, manage
Invoice keyX-Api-Key: <invoice_key>Limited - create invoices, read wallet info

Admin key ​

The admin key grants full control over a wallet:

  • Create invoices (receive payments)
  • Pay invoices (send payments)
  • Read wallet balance and transaction history
  • Manage wallet settings
  • Access extension APIs that modify data
bash
curl -H "X-Api-Key: ADMIN_KEY" \
  https://your-lnbits.com/api/v1/wallet

WARNING

Treat the admin key like a password. Anyone with this key can spend your wallet balance.

Invoice key ​

The invoice key has read + receive permissions only:

  • Create invoices (receive payments)
  • Read wallet balance and transaction history
  • Access extension APIs that only read data
bash
curl -H "X-Api-Key: INVOICE_KEY" \
  https://your-lnbits.com/api/v1/wallet

Use the invoice key when you only need to receive payments - for example, in a point-of-sale terminal or a public payment page.

Finding your keys ​

Every wallet ships with its own pair of keys. Here is where to find them.

  1. Log in to LNbits and pick the wallet you want from the left sidebar. Each wallet has its own independent pair of keys.
  2. On the wallet page, click API info panel (right sided). A panel expands.
  3. The panel lists:
    • Admin key - full access, keep secret
    • Invoice/read key - receive-only, safe to share with services that only need to issue invoices or read balance
    • Wallet ID - the wallet's unique identifier
    • API base URL - the LNbits instance these keys belong to
  4. Click the eye icon next to a key to reveal it, or the copy icon to copy it to your clipboard.

Both keys are 32-character hex strings and belong to this one wallet only. Creating a new wallet generates a brand-new pair.

Keep the Admin key secret

Anyone holding the Admin key can spend your balance. Never paste it into browser-side JavaScript, public GitHub repos, or screenshots you share in chats.

Key rotation ​

API keys can be regenerated from the wallet settings. Regenerating a key immediately invalidates the old one.

Bearer tokens ​

LNbits also supports Bearer token authentication for user-level operations:

bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  https://your-lnbits.com/api/v1/wallet

Access tokens are obtained through the authentication API.