When your agency asks for access to your MailerLite, Stripe, or Shopify account, your first instinct might be to share your login credentials. After all, it's the simplest way to give them access, right?
Actually, no. Sharing passwords is one of the riskiest things you can do — and there's a much better alternative: API keys.
The Problem with Shared Passwords
When you share your login credentials, you're giving someone:
- Full account access — They can do anything you can do, including changing settings, deleting data, or even locking you out.
- No audit trail — You can't tell who did what. If something goes wrong, you won't know if it was you or them.
- Permanent access — Even if you change your password later, they might have already saved it or logged in from multiple devices.
- Security risks — If they get hacked, your account gets hacked too.
How API Keys Are Different
An API key is like a limited-access pass. Instead of giving someone the keys to your entire house, you're giving them a key that only opens the garage door.
- Scoped access — API keys can be limited to specific actions. For example, a MailerLite API key might only allow reading subscribers, not deleting them.
- Revocable — You can delete an API key at any time, instantly cutting off access. No password changes needed.
- Auditable — Most services log API activity separately, so you can see exactly what was done with that key.
- Non-transferable — An API key doesn't give access to your dashboard or settings. Your agency can work with your data without seeing your billing info or account settings.
Think of it this way: A password is your identity. An API key is a permission slip. You can write many permission slips, each with different rules, and tear them up whenever you want.
What About Security?
API keys should still be treated as sensitive. That's why Keygent encrypts every key with AES-256 encryption — the same standard used by banks and governments.
Your keys are never stored in plain text. They're encrypted the moment you enter them, and only decrypted when your agency's systems need to make a request on your behalf.
The Bottom Line
Next time your agency asks for access to one of your tools, ask them: "Can I give you an API key instead of my password?"
If they're using Keygent, the answer is already yes — and your credentials are safer than ever.
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