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Get Identity

Retrieve an identity by external ID. Returns metadata, rate limits, and other associated data.

Use this to check if an identity exists, view configurations, or build management dashboards.

Important
Requires identity.*.read_identity permission

1 min read
post/v2/identities.getIdentity
Request example
Response
post/v2/identities.getIdentity

Authorization

Authorizationstringheaderrequired#

Unkey uses bearer tokens for authentication. Public integrations use root keys, while the dashboard proxy uses short-lived JWTs.
To authenticate, include the token in the Authorization header of each request:

Root keys have specific permissions attached to them, controlling what operations they can perform. Legacy permissions use tuple strings like api.*.create_key; resource permissions use Unkey Resource Names plus actions, like unkey:v1:ws_123:keyspaces/*#create_key.
Security best practices:

  • Keep root keys secure and never expose them in client-side code
  • Use different root keys for different environments
  • Rotate keys periodically, especially after team member departures
  • Create keys with minimal necessary permissions following least privilege principle
  • Monitor key usage with audit logs.

Body

application/json
identitystringrequired#
The ID of the identity to retrieve. This can be either the externalId (from your own system that was used during identity creation) or the identityId (the internal ID returned by the identity service).

Length: min 1

Responses

application/json
Successfully retrieved the identity information
metaobjectrequired#
Metadata object included in every API response. This provides context about the request and is essential for debugging, audit trails, and support inquiries. The requestId is particularly important when troubleshooting issues with the Unkey support team.
Show child attributes
requestIdstringrequired#
A unique id for this request. Always include this ID when contacting support about a specific API request. This identifier allows Unkey's support team to trace the exact request through logs and diagnostic systems to provide faster assistance.
dataobjectrequired#
Show child attributes
idstringrequired#
Identity ID
externalIdstringrequired#
External identity ID
metaobject#
Identity metadata
ratelimitsobject[]#
Identity ratelimits
Show child attributes
idstringrequired#
Unique identifier for this rate limit configuration.

Length: 8–255Pattern: ^rl_[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$

namestringrequired#
Human-readable name for this rate limit.

Length: 1–128

limitintegerrequired#
Maximum requests allowed within the time window.

Range: 1–1000000

durationintegerrequired#
Rate limit window duration in milliseconds.

Range: 1000–2592000000

autoApplybooleanrequired#
Whether this rate limit was automatically applied when verifying the key.