> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://otoyinc.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Using Your API Key

> You need an API Key with Compute Node permissions to register and operate a Node on the Dispersed Network. 

If you do not have an API Key yet, refer to [API Key](/api-key) to create one.

## Using Your API Key

### For Node Operators

When running the `dispersed` client, pass your keys as command line arguments. The client handles all authentication internally — you don't need to implement HMAC signatures yourself.

**First time registration:**

```bash theme={null}
dispersed --pubkey=pk_your_public_key --secretkey=sk_your_secret_key --register
```

**After registration:**

```bash theme={null}
dispersed --pubkey=pk_your_public_key --secretkey=sk_your_secret_key
```

### For Programmatic API Access

If you're building your own API client or scripts, requests require HMAC signature authentication with four headers:

* `X-API-Key` — Your public key
* `X-Time` — Current timestamp in milliseconds
* `X-Nonce` — Random 32-byte hex string
* `X-Signature` — HMAC-SHA256 signature

For implementation details and code examples, see [Authenticate Requests](/service-consumers/service-consumers-authenticate-requests).

## What's Next?

With your API Key ready, proceed to [Register Your Node](/node-operators/node-operators-register-node) to connect your machine to the network.