{"id":"cloud-accounts.what-is-an-access-key-id","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/what-is-an-access-key-id","category":{"id":"cloud-accounts","title":"Cloud accounts"},"subcategory":{"id":"s3-compatible","title":"Other bucket storage (S3-compatible)"},"question":"What's the difference between the Access Key ID and the Secret Access Key?","alt_questions":["Access Key ID vs secret key","Which S3 key goes where?","What is a secret access key?","S3 key pair explained","AKIA key Storage Studio"],"short_answer":"They're two halves of one key pair: the Access Key ID is the public part identifying you; the Secret Access Key is the private part proving it — treat it like a password. Storage Studio keeps the secret encrypted on your Mac.","answer_markdown":"They're two halves of one key pair. The **Access Key ID** is the public part that says who you are (on Amazon it usually starts with `AKIA`). The **Secret Access Key** is the private part that proves it — treat it like a password.\n\nStorage Studio keeps the secret in its encrypted vault on your Mac and checks its strength when you type it. Your provider usually shows the secret only once, when you create the key, so store it in a password manager.","answer_html":"

They're two halves of one key pair. The Access Key ID is the public part that says who you are (on Amazon it usually starts with AKIA). The Secret Access Key is the private part that proves it — treat it like a password.

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Storage Studio keeps the secret in its encrypted vault on your Mac and checks its strength when you type it. Your provider usually shows the secret only once, when you create the key, so store it in a password manager.

","answer_text":"They're two halves of one key pair. The Access Key ID is the public part that says who you are (on Amazon it usually starts with AKIA). The Secret Access Key is the private part that proves it — treat it like a password.\n\nStorage Studio keeps the secret in its encrypted vault on your Mac and checks its strength when you type it. Your provider usually shows the secret only once, when you create the key, so store it in a password manager.","tags":["access keys","s3","credentials"],"related":[{"id":"cloud-accounts.how-do-i-connect-amazon-s3","question":"How do I connect an Amazon S3 bucket to Storage Studio?","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/how-do-i-connect-amazon-s3"},{"id":"cloud-accounts.where-are-my-cloud-passwords-and-keys-stored","question":"Where does Storage Studio keep my cloud passwords and access keys?","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/where-are-my-cloud-passwords-and-keys-stored"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What's the difference between the Access Key ID and the Secret Access Key? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"They're two halves of one key pair: the Access Key ID is the public part identifying you; the Secret Access Key is the private part proving it — treat it like a password. Storage Studio keeps the secret encrypted on your Mac.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Cloud accounts","path":"/faq/cloud-accounts/"},{"name":"What's the difference between the Access Key ID and the Secret Access Key?","path":"/faq/cloud-accounts/what-is-an-access-key-id"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/what-is-an-access-key-id","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What's the difference between the Access Key ID and the Secret Access Key?","alternateName":["Access Key ID vs secret key","Which S3 key goes where?","What is a secret access key?","S3 key pair explained","AKIA key Storage Studio"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"They're two halves of one key pair. The Access Key ID is the public part that says who you are (on Amazon it usually starts with AKIA). The Secret Access Key is the private part that proves it — treat it like a password.\n\nStorage Studio keeps the secret in its encrypted vault on your Mac and checks its strength when you type it. Your provider usually shows the secret only once, when you create the key, so store it in a password manager.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/what-is-an-access-key-id"}}]},"fragment":"
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Cloud accounts · Other bucket storage (S3-compatible)

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What's the difference between the Access Key ID and the Secret Access Key?

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Short answer: They're two halves of one key pair: the Access Key ID is the public part identifying you; the Secret Access Key is the private part proving it — treat it like a password. Storage Studio keeps the secret encrypted on your Mac.

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They're two halves of one key pair. The Access Key ID is the public part that says who you are (on Amazon it usually starts with AKIA). The Secret Access Key is the private part that proves it — treat it like a password.

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Storage Studio keeps the secret in its encrypted vault on your Mac and checks its strength when you type it. Your provider usually shows the secret only once, when you create the key, so store it in a password manager.

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