What Are Temporary Security Credentials (AK/SK and Security Token)?

Temporary Security Credentials

Temporary security credentials include temporary access keys (AK/SK) and security tokens. They only have temporary access permissions and are slightly different from permanent security credentials.

Differences Between Temporary and Permanent Security Credentials

The following table provides the differences between the two types of security credentials.

**Table 1** Credential differences
Item	Temporary Credentials	Permanent Credentials
Validity period	15 minutes to 24 hours	Unlimited validity
Number of credentials	Unlimited	2 credentials for each IAM user
Obtaining method	Call the API used to obtain a temporary access key.	Create an access key on the My Credentials page.
Usage	Cannot be embedded into applications or stored for later use, and must be obtained again after expiration.	N/A

Advantages of Temporary Security Credentials

Temporary security credentials are useful to grant federated users only required permissions with a specific validity period.

Usage of Temporary Security Credentials

An access key must be used together with a security token. When you use temporary security credentials for authentication, add the x-security-token field to the request header. For details, see API Request Signing Guide.

Parent topic: Passwords and Credentials