Lightning.AI · Authentication Profile

Lightningai Authentication

Authentication

Lightning.AI secures its APIs with http-basic and http-bearer across 2 declared security schemes, as derived from its OpenAPI definitions.

CompanyAi InfrastructureArtificial IntelligenceMachine LearningGPU CloudModel InferenceLLM GatewayDeveloper ToolsMLOpsDeployment

Methods: http-basic, http-bearer Schemes: 2 OAuth flows: API key in: header, environment

Security Schemes

platformBasicAuth http

scheme: basic

modelApiBearer http

scheme: bearer

Source

Authentication Profile

generated: '2026-07-19'
method: searched
source: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/developers/cli
docs:
- https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/developers/cli
- https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/inference/model-apis
- https://github.com/Lightning-AI/skills/blob/main/lightning-llm-gateway/SKILL.md
notes: >-
  Lightning AI runs TWO distinct auth schemes and its own docs warn not to conflate them.
  Platform SDK/CLI/REST calls (Studios, Jobs, Deployments, Sandboxes) use HTTP Basic with
  `LIGHTNING_USER_ID` as the user and `LIGHTNING_API_KEY` as the password — both are required.
  The OpenAI-compatible Model APIs (LLM gateway) use a Bearer token minted separately via
  `lightning api-key get`. No OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect surface is published: there is no
  /.well-known/openid-configuration and no /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server (see
  well-known/lightningai-well-known.yml), so there is no scopes/ artifact for this provider.
summary:
  types: [http-basic, http-bearer]
  api_key_in: [header, environment]
  oauth2_flows: []
schemes:
- name: platformBasicAuth
  type: http
  scheme: basic
  applies_to: Lightning AI Platform API (https://lightning.ai/api/v1), SDK and CLI
  credentials:
  - LIGHTNING_USER_ID
  - LIGHTNING_API_KEY
  interactive_login: lightning login
  headless: export LIGHTNING_USER_ID=... LIGHTNING_API_KEY=...
  source: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/developers/cli
- name: modelApiBearer
  type: http
  scheme: bearer
  applies_to: Lightning Model APIs / LLM gateway (https://lightning.ai/v1)
  header: 'Authorization: Bearer <LIGHTNING_API_KEY>'
  key_management:
  - lightning api-key get [--org NAME]
  - lightning api-key create --org NAME --name my-key
  - lightning api-key list
  - lightning api-key delete <KEY_ID>
  key_console: https://lightning.ai/lightning-ai/model-apis/models?showApiKey=true
  scoping: >-
    Model-API keys are scoped to an organization; pass --org or set LIGHTNING_ORG when the user
    belongs to more than one org.
  verified: >-
    GET https://lightning.ai/v1/models without a token returns 401
    {"code":16,"message":"unauthenticated","details":[]}
anonymous_endpoints:
- method: GET
  url: https://lightning.ai/api/v1/models
  note: public OpenAI-style model catalog, returns 200 without credentials
- method: GET
  url: https://lightning.ai/api/v1/docs/worlds
  note: public docs worlds registry, returns 200 without credentials
related:
- conventions/lightningai-conventions.yml
- cli/lightningai-cli.yml
- rate-limits/lightningai-rate-limits.yml