---
title: Create an API token
description: Create a new API token for authenticating with the Telegraf Controller API.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/telegraf/controller/tokens/create/
estimated_tokens: 1459
product: Telegraf
version: v1
---

# Create an API token

#### Telegraf Controller is in Public Beta

Telegraf Controller is in public beta and will be part of the future Telegraf Enterprise offering. While in beta, Telegraf Controller is **not meant for production use**. The Telegraf Controller documentation is a work in progress, and we are actively working to improve it. If you have any questions or suggestions, please [submit an issue](https://github.com/influxdata/docs-v2/issues/new?labels=Telegraf%20Controller). We welcome any and all contributions.

Beta expectations

-   **No configuration or agent limits**  
    While in beta, Telegraf Controller doesn't place any limits on the number of configurations you can store or the number of Telegraf agents you can track. However, upon being generally available, the free distribution of Telegraf Controller will have limits introduced, with the option to increase limits through a Telegraf Enterprise license.
-   **Potential breaking changes**  
    While in beta, we will do our best to no longer make breaking changes to Telegraf Controller, however, they may be necessary. The majority of changes we make will be additive and non-breaking, and include any necessary migrations. When we do need to make breaking changes, we will do our best to communicate them clearly and in advance to minimize disruption.
-   **Flexible release schedule**  
    While in beta, we will continue to create new releases of Telegraf Controller, but likely at irregular intervals. We will provide [Telegraf Controller release notes](/telegraf/controller/reference/release-notes/) to make it easy to track updates.

Provide beta feedback

-   Use the **Feedback** feature in the Telegraf Controller UI.
-   [Join the InfluxDB Community Slack](https://influxdata.com/slack) and post feedback in the **#telegraf-enterprise-alpha** channel.
-   Post feedback in the [InfluxData Community](https://community.influxdata.com).

Join our public channels

-   [InfluxDB Community Slack *(Preferred)*](https://influxdata.com/slack)
-   [InfluxData Community](https://community.influxdata.com)
-   [InfluxDB Subreddit](https://reddit.com/r/influxdb)

Create a new API token to authenticate requests to the Telegraf Controller API. Tokens let you grant scoped access to external tools, scripts, and services without sharing your login credentials.

#### Required permissions

You must have an **Owner**, **Administrator**, or **Manager** role assigned to your account.

## Create a token

1. Navigate to the **API Tokens** page.
2. Click **Create Token**.
3. Enter a **Description** for the token that identifies where or how the token will be used.
4. *(Optional)* Set an **Expiration** date. Tokens without an expiration date remain active indefinitely.
5. *(Optional)* Set **Custom permissions** to restrict the token’s access below your role’s full permissions. See [Custom permissions](#custom-permissions) for details.
6. Click **Create**.

![Telegraf Controller create token form](/img/telegraf/controller-create-token.png)

#### Copy and store your token

Copy your API token immediately after creation. The full token value is only displayed once and cannot be retrieved later.

## Custom permissions

When you set custom permissions on a token, Telegraf Controller intersects those permissions with your role’s existing permissions. This means you can use custom permissions to narrow a token’s access, but you cannot create a token with more access than your role allows.

For example, if you have the **Manager** role, you cannot create a token with user management permissions. The resulting token will only include the permissions that overlap with what your role grants.

Custom permissions are useful when you want to issue a token for a specific task, such as read-only access to configurations, without exposing the full scope of your role.

## If you lose a token

If you lose or forget a token value, you cannot recover it. Revoke the lost token and create a new one to restore access.

For instructions on revoking a token, see [Revoke an API token](/telegraf/controller/tokens/revoke/).

#### Related

-   [Authorization](/telegraf/controller/reference/authorization/)