Google Maps Platform products are secured from unauthorized use by restricting API calls
to those that provide proper authentication credentials. These credentials are in the form of
an API key - a unique alphanumeric string that associates your Google billing account with your
project, and with the specific API or SDK.
This guide shows how to create, restrict, and use your API key for Google Maps Platform.
Before you begin
Before you start using the Elevation API, you need a project with a billing account and the
Elevation API enabled. To learn more, see
Set up in Cloud Console
.
Creating API keys
The API key is a unique identifier that authenticates requests associated with your project for
usage and billing purposes. You must have at least one API key associated with your project.
To create an API key:
Console
-
Go to the
Google Maps Platform > Credentials
page.
Go to the Credentials page
-
On the
Credentials
page, click
Create credentials > API key
.
The
API key created
dialog displays your newly created API key.
-
Click
Close.
The new API key is listed on the
Credentials
page under
API keys
.
(Remember to
restrict the API
key before using it in production.)
Cloud SDK
gcloud alpha services api-keys create \
--project "
PROJECT
" \
--display-name "
DISPLAY_NAME
"
Read more about the
Google Cloud SDK
,
Cloud SDK installation
, and the following commands:
Restricting API keys
Google strongly recommends that you restrict your API keys by limiting their usage to those only
APIs needed for your application. Restricting API keys adds security to your application by
protecting it from unwarranted requests. For more information, see
API security best practices
.
To restrict an API key:
Console
-
Go to the
Google Maps Platform > Credentials
page.
Go to the Credentials page
- Select the API key that you want to set a restriction on. The API key property page appears.
- Under
Key restrictions
, set the following restrictions:
- Application restrictions:
- To accept requests from the list of web server IP addresses that you supply, select
IP addresses (web servers, cron jobs, etc.)
from the list of
Application restrictions
. Specify one or more IPv4 or IPv6 address,
or subnet using CIDR notation. The IP addresses must match the source address the
Google Maps Platform servers observe. If you use
network
address translation (NAT)
,
this would typically correspond to your machine's
public
IP address.
- API restrictions:
- Click
Restrict key
.
- Select
Elevation API
from
Select APIs
dropdown.
If the Elevation API is not listed, you need to
enable
it.
- To finalize your changes, click
Save
.
Cloud SDK
List existing keys.
gcloud services api-keys list --project="
PROJECT
"
Clear existing restrictions on existing key.
gcloud alpha services api-keys update "projects/
PROJECT
/keys/
KEY_ID
" \
--clear-restrictions
Set new restrictions on existing key.
gcloud alpha services api-keys update "projects/
PROJECT
/keys/
KEY_ID
" \
--api-target="elevation-backend.googleapis.com"
--allowed-ips="
IP_ADDRESS
"
Read more about the
Google Cloud SDK
,
Cloud SDK installation
, and the following commands:
Adding the API key to your request
You must include an API key with every Elevation API request. In the following example,
replace
YOUR_API_KEY
with your API key.
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/elevation/json?locations=39.7391536,-104.9847034&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
HTTPS is required for requests that use an API key.