Create api key

Use a Foveus API key to connect your service to your workspace. Your service sends executions, logs, context, and issue evidence to Foveus using this key.

API key modes

Foveus supports two key modes:

Mode	How it is created	Use for
`test`	Created automatically during onboarding	Local development, sandbox testing, QA, and onboarding
`live`	Issued by the Foveus team (not self-serve during private beta)	Production telemetry

Use your test key while setting up Foveus. Request a live key only when you are ready to send production telemetry.

The key decides the mode. A fov_test_ key sends telemetry to Test mode and a fov_live_ key sends it to Live mode. There is no separate mode setting.

Test keys

Your test key is created automatically during onboarding. A test key looks similar to:

fov_test_...

Use this key for:

local development
sandbox services
QA environments
private beta setup

Keys are shown once, so store the key when it is displayed. During private beta there is no rotate or revoke control in the dashboard.

Live keys

Live keys are not self-serve during private beta. When your service is ready to send production telemetry, ask the Foveus team for a live key. A live key should look similar to:

fov_live_...

Treat live API keys like production secrets. Do not commit them to source control, paste them into logs, or share them in chat.

Store your key safely

For local development, use .NET user secrets:

dotnet user-secrets set "Foveus:ApiKey" "fov_test_..."

For deployed services, use your platform’s secret manager. Common options include:

Azure Key Vault
AWS Secrets Manager
Google Secret Manager
Kubernetes secrets
Render environment variables
Docker secrets

Use a test key

For local development or sandbox telemetry, you only need to provide your test key.

{
  "Foveus": {
    "ApiKey": "fov_test_..."
  }
}

Then configure the SDK from application configuration.

builder.Services.AddFoveus(builder.Configuration);

With this setup, Foveus uses safe defaults:

Option	Default
`ServiceName`	Your project assembly name
`Environment`	`test` or `live`, taken from the API key

You can override these values when needed.

{
  "Foveus": {
    "ApiKey": "fov_test_...",
    "ServiceName": "orders-api",
    "Environment": "staging"
  }
}

Environment is a free-text label for the deployment. It is not the ASP.NET Core environment.

Use a live key

When you are ready to send production telemetry, use a live key. A fov_live_ key sends telemetry to Live mode.

{
  "Foveus": {
    "ApiKey": "fov_live_...",
    "ServiceName": "orders-api",
    "Environment": "production"
  }
}

Do not use a test key for production telemetry. Do not use a live key in local development.

Configuration options

Option	Required?	Default	Description
`ApiKey`	Yes	None	Your Foveus API key. Its prefix decides the mode. Test keys are created during onboarding. Live keys are issued by the Foveus team.
`ServiceName`	No	Project assembly name	The logical name of your service. Override this if your assembly name is not how you want the service to appear in Foveus.
`Environment`	No	`test` or `live`, from the key	A free-text label for the deployment, such as `staging` or `production`. It is not the ASP.NET Core environment.

Permissions

During private beta, Foveus API keys are created with the permissions needed to ingest telemetry. A key can send:

logs
metrics and execution telemetry
context
error reports

Replace a key

Replace a key if:

the key was exposed
a team member with access leaves
your security policy requires periodic rotation

During private beta there is no rotate or revoke control in the dashboard. Contact the Foveus team for a replacement key, then:

Update your service configuration with the new key.
Deploy the change.
Confirm new telemetry is arriving.
Ask the Foveus team to revoke the old key.

Once a key is revoked, a service still using it gets ingestion errors (HTTP 401) at runtime; it does not fail at startup.

Troubleshooting

No executions appear

Check that:

the API key is valid
the startup log does not contain Foveus is disabled: — if it does, fix the reason it gives
the key mode matches the dashboard mode you are viewing
your service can reach Foveus
the SDK is configured correctly
your selected time range includes the request time

The Foveus is disabled: diagnostic requires Foveus.SDK 1.1.0-beta.18 or later; earlier versions throw at startup instead. If you are using the default service name, search by the project assembly name. If you overrode ServiceName, search by that value instead.

service:orders-api

Telemetry appears in the wrong mode

The key decides the mode. A fov_test_ key always sends to Test mode and a fov_live_ key always sends to Live mode. Check which key the running service actually uses, and switch the dashboard’s Test/Live toggle to the matching mode. For live telemetry, use a live key:

{
  "Foveus": {
    "ApiKey": "fov_live_...",
    "ServiceName": "orders-api",
    "Environment": "production"
  }
}

Environment does not change the mode. A test key with "Environment": "production" still sends to Test mode.

The service name looks wrong

By default, Foveus uses your project assembly name as the service name. If that is not the name you want to see in Foveus, override ServiceName.

{
  "Foveus": {
    "ApiKey": "fov_test_...",
    "ServiceName": "orders-api"
  }
}

The key appears in logs

Remove the key from logs immediately and contact the Foveus team to replace it. Foveus does not redact log messages, so never log API keys.

Next steps

Install the .NET SDK: Install the .NET SDK
Send your first execution: Send your first execution
Learn about Test and Live modes: Test and Live modes
Review API key safety: API keys

Start here

Get started

Core concepts

Guides

SDK

Security and data

API reference

Create api key

API key modes

Test keys

Live keys

Store your key safely

Use a test key

Use a live key

Configuration options

Permissions

Replace a key

Troubleshooting

No executions appear

Telemetry appears in the wrong mode

The service name looks wrong

The key appears in logs

Next steps