Your LinkedIn API key is the Client ID in your developer application's Auth tab. LinkedIn also calls this identifier a consumer key. An access token serves a different purpose: it authorizes API calls within the permissions granted to the application.
If you are connecting an integration, first check which credential its field requires. A Client ID identifies an app; it does not grant access to every LinkedIn API. LinkedIn's authorization documentation separates application credentials from the access token used for requests.
Client ID, client secret and access token
A LinkedIn application has a Client ID and a client secret. An authorization flow issues a separate access token. Use the field's documented purpose to choose between them.
| Credential | Role | Synthetic example |
|---|---|---|
| Client ID, also called consumer key or API key | Identifies your developer application. | EXAMPLE_CLIENT_ID |
| Client secret | Authenticates the application where the authorization flow requires it. Keep it private. | EXAMPLE_CLIENT_SECRET |
| Access token | Authorizes requests within the granted permissions and token lifetime. Treat it as a secret. | EXAMPLE_ACCESS_TOKEN |
These values are invented labels, not working credentials or examples of LinkedIn's credential format. The roles follow LinkedIn's credential and token documentation.
For example, consider a setup form asking for a Client ID and client secret, and a request field asking for an access token. Read the integration's instructions before filling those fields. Each field needs the credential named in its instructions.
A field labeled App ID needs the same care. Do not assume every product uses that label to mean LinkedIn's Client ID. Check which service issued the identifier and what the receiving integration expects.
Keep client secrets and access tokens in protected server-side storage. Do not paste them into public examples, support threads or repository files. When sharing a configuration for troubleshooting, replace sensitive values with clearly labeled examples like those above.
Where to find your LinkedIn API key
Find your LinkedIn developer API key by opening the relevant application in the official Developer Portal, then selecting Auth. The value labeled Client ID is the API key identified in LinkedIn's documentation.
- Use a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn's API access instructions direct you to create an account if you do not have one.
- Open the LinkedIn Developer Portal. Go to your applications and select the app used by your integration. If you have no application, follow LinkedIn's setup instructions first.
- Select Auth. LinkedIn's application configuration guide identifies this tab as the location of your credentials.
- Match the credential to the field. Use the Client ID where the integration requests it, and handle the separate client secret privately.
Check the application name before copying anything. If you maintain more than one integration, check that the selected app belongs to the connection you are setting up. Keep a note of the app and credential type without recording the secret in a shared document.
Next, check whether that app has the product access and permissions needed for your request.
What LinkedIn API access requires
LinkedIn supports API integrations, but access depends on the product, permissions and authorization flow. A Client ID alone does not prove that your app qualifies. LinkedIn's access guide distinguishes open permissions from programs that require approval.
This checklist follows LinkedIn's documentation. It does not confirm approval for your app.
- Identify the operation. State what your application must read or do, then find the corresponding official API product. Avoid starting with a credential and assuming it covers the intended task.
- Check the access route. Some permissions are available through self-service product access. Most permissions and partner programs require explicit LinkedIn approval, according to its access guide.
- Check the scopes. Scopes are named permissions requested during authorization. Review the scopes available to your application; requesting a permission does not establish that LinkedIn has granted access.
- Check whose authorization applies. Member authorization requires the member's consent for the applicable permissions. Some eligible APIs support application authorization, with access restricted by product.
- Check data-use limits. Approval, available identifiers, privacy settings and storage rules can still limit the data your application may retrieve or retain.
Application authorization is not a general way around member consent. LinkedIn's client credentials documentation says access to those APIs is unavailable by default. It also excludes Marketing APIs from that flow. Check the relevant product before choosing an authorization method.
Official profile access also needs a precise distinction. The Profile API documentation restricts use to approved developers. It describes other-member profile retrieval using a Person ID obtained through limited-access APIs, subject to privacy settings. Its usage rules prohibit storing data returned for members other than the authenticated member.
That restricted route does not establish that your application can look up arbitrary profile URLs. Document the access route you qualify for before designing around the expected data. Compare LinkedIn developer API access models if you need to choose between official integration and independent public-data access.
Is a LinkedIn API key free?
LinkedIn's general API terms state that API use currently carries no fee, while reserving the ability to charge in the future. This is the position in sections 8.2 and 1.2 of the API Terms of Use, checked October 17, 2026.
Additional terms or separate agreements can govern particular programs. The general no-fee statement therefore does not establish the price or commercial conditions of every LinkedIn agreement.
Keep the cost question separate from the access question. A credential does not grant a restricted permission, and a no-fee policy does not remove an approval requirement. Check both the relevant product's eligibility rules and the terms that apply to your integration.
For the wider cost decision, check whether the LinkedIn API is free.
What LinkedIn's Token Generator creates
LinkedIn's Token Generator creates an access token for a selected application, OAuth flow and permission scopes. It does not create a replacement Client ID or grant extra product approval.
The Developer Portal Tools documentation describes selecting the app, flow and scopes, then completing member approval where applicable. The result shows the token, its scopes and its lifetime.
Use LinkedIn's official Token Generator when that documented workflow fits your app. Before generating a token, check that you selected the intended application and understand which permissions the integration needs.
After generation, compare the displayed scopes with those required for your request. Read the displayed lifetime rather than assuming every token lasts for the same period. Keep the resulting token private, just as you would another credential that authorizes access.
If you need the Client ID, use the app's Auth tab. If you need an access token, choose the supported authorization route. A tool described as a LinkedIn API key generator cannot substitute for an unmet program requirement.
When an EnvoAPI key fits
An EnvoAPI key fits a different task: reading public LinkedIn data through an independent API, without a LinkedIn login. EnvoAPI issues its own server-side key. It is separate from a LinkedIn application's Client ID, client secret and access token.
EnvoAPI is an independent, unofficial third-party API. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by LinkedIn.
Consider this route when your application needs public profile, company, job or post data in JSON. Explore our public LinkedIn data API to check the available capabilities against your task.
EnvoAPI provides read-only access to public data. It does not provide private messages, connection lists or data behind LinkedIn login. It also does not send messages, post content, send connection requests, manage ads or provide LinkedIn sign-in.
If your integration needs one of those account actions, an EnvoAPI key does not meet that requirement. If it needs public data, keep the EnvoAPI key on your backend. Learn to fetch LinkedIn data through EnvoAPI before adding the connection to your application.
Choose the issuer that matches the task: LinkedIn credentials for an eligible official integration, or an EnvoAPI key for supported public-data requests.
