API keys and authentication

import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs'; import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem'; import Icon from "@site/src/components/icon";

This page documents Langflow's built-in authentication, including user accounts, Langflow API keys, and the environment variables that control access to your server. To connect Langflow to an external identity provider or SSO system, see SSO and external authentication.

:::warning Never expose Langflow ports directly to the internet without proper security measures. Set LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=False, use a non-default LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY, and deploy your Langflow server behind a reverse proxy with authentication enabled. For more information, see Start a Langflow server with authentication enabled. :::

Authentication credentials help prevent unauthorized access to your Langflow server, flows, and services connected through components.

There are three types of credentials that you use in Langflow:

• Langflow API keys: For authentication with the Langflow API and authorizing server-side Langflow actions like running flows and uploading files.
• Component API keys: For authentication between Langflow and a service connected through a component, such as a model provider or third-party API.
• Authentication environment variables: These environment variables configure how Langflow handles user authentication and authorization.

Langflow API keys {#langflow-api-keys}

You can use Langflow API keys to interact with Langflow programmatically.

By default, most Langflow API endpoints, such as /v1/run/$FLOW_ID, require authentication with a Langflow API key.

Langflow validates API keys against keys stored in the database, but you can configure Langflow to validate API keys against an environment variable instead. For more information, see LANGFLOW_API_KEY_SOURCE.

Webhook endpoints require API key authentication by default. To disable authentication for webhook endpoints, use the LANGFLOW_WEBHOOK_AUTH_ENABLE environment variable. To configure authentication for Langflow MCP servers, see Use Langflow as an MCP server.

Langflow API key permissions

A Langflow API key adopts the privileges of the user who created it. This means that API keys you create have the same permissions and access that you do, including access to your flows, components, and Langflow database. A Langflow API key cannot be used to access resources outside of your own Langflow server.

In single-user environments, you are always a superuser, and your Langflow API keys always have superuser privileges.

In multi-user environments, users who aren't superusers cannot use their API keys to access other users' resources. Superusers can only run their own flows, and cannot run flows owned by other users. You must start your Langflow server with authentication enabled to allow superusers to manage users and create non-superuser accounts.

Create a Langflow API key

You can generate a Langflow API key in your Langflow Settings or with the Langflow CLI.

The CLI option is required if your Langflow server is running in --backend-only mode.

1. In the Langflow header, click your profile icon, and then select Settings.
2. Click Langflow API Keys, and then click Add New.
3. Name your key, and then click Create API Key.
4. Copy the API key and store it securely.

If you're serving your flow with --backend-only=true, you can't create API keys in your Langflow Settings because the frontend isn't running. In this case, you must create API keys with the Langflow CLI.

1. Recommended: Start your Langflow server with authentication enabled.

   The Langflow team recommends enabling authentication for security reasons to prevent unauthorized creation of API keys and superusers, especially in production environments. If authentication isn't enabled (LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=True), all users are effectively superusers, and they can create API keys with the Langflow CLI.

2. Create an API key with langflow api-key:

   shellCopy

   uv run langflow api-key
   

   All API keys created with the Langflow CLI have superuser privileges because the command requires superuser authentication, and Langflow API keys adopt the privileges of the user who created them.

Use a Langflow API key

To authenticate Langflow API requests, pass your Langflow API key an x-api-key header or query parameter.

curl -X POST \
  "http://$LANGFLOW_SERVER_ADDRESS/api/v1/run/$FLOW_ID?stream=false" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: $LANGFLOW_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"inputs": {"text":""}, "tweaks": {}}'

curl -X POST \
  "http://$LANGFLOW_SERVER_ADDRESS/api/v1/run/$FLOW_ID?x-api-key=$LANGFLOW_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"inputs": {"text":""}, "tweaks": {}}'

For more information about forming Langflow API requests, see Get started with the Langflow API and Trigger flows with the Langflow API.

Track API key usage

By default, Langflow tracks API key usage through total_uses and last_used_at records in your Langflow database.

To disable API key tracking, set LANGFLOW_DISABLE_TRACK_APIKEY_USAGE=True in your Langflow environment variables. This can help avoid database contention during periods of high concurrency.

Revoke an API key

To revoke and delete an API key, do the following:

1. In the Langflow header, click your profile icon, and then select Settings.
2. Click Langflow API Keys.
3. Select the keys you want to delete, and then click <Icon name="Trash2" aria-hidden="true"/> Delete.

This action immediately invalidates the key and prevents it from being used again.

Component API keys {#component-api-keys}

Component API keys authorize access to external services that are called by components in your flows, such as model providers, databases, or third-party APIs. These aren't Langflow API keys or general application credentials.

In Langflow, you can store component API keys in global variables in your Settings or import them from your runtime environment. For more information, see Global variables.

You create and manage component API keys within the service provider's platform. Langflow only stores the encrypted key value or a secure reference to a key stored elsewhere; it doesn't manage the actual credentials at the source. This means that deleting a global variable from Langflow doesn't delete or invalidate the actual API key in the service provider's system. You must delete or rotate component API keys directly using the service provider's interface or API.

For added security, you can set LANGFLOW_REMOVE_API_KEYS=True to omit API keys and tokens from flow data in your Langflow database. Additionally, when exporting flows, you can choose to omit API keys from the exported flow JSON.

Authentication environment variables

This section describes the available authentication configuration variables.

You can use the .env.example file in the Langflow repository as a template for your own .env file.

For JWT token signing configuration, including algorithm selection and key management, see Configure JWT token signing.

LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN {#langflow-auto-login}

This variable controls whether the visual editor uses automatic login or requires users to sign in.

• If LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=False, automatic login is disabled. Users must sign in to the visual editor, authenticate as a superuser to run certain Langflow CLI commands, and use a Langflow API key for Langflow API requests. You must explicitly set LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD before startup. Set LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER only if you want to override the default superuser username (langflow).

• If LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=True, the visual editor automatically signs in all users as the configured superuser, and Langflow uses that username with a configured or generated bootstrap password. All users share the same visual editor environment without password protection, and they can run Langflow CLI commands as superusers. API requests still require a Langflow API key unless you also set LANGFLOW_SKIP_AUTH_AUTO_LOGIN to true.

The Langflow application default is True. Official Langflow Docker images set false. For more information, see Docker image defaults.

LANGFLOW_SKIP_AUTH_AUTO_LOGIN {#langflow-skip-auth-auto-login}

When LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=true, set LANGFLOW_SKIP_AUTH_AUTO_LOGIN=true to also skip API key authentication for API requests. The default is false, so API keys are still required even when auto-login is enabled. This variable will be removed in a future release.

LANGFLOW_ENABLE_SUPERUSER_CLI {#langflow-enable-superuser-cli}

Controls the availability of the langflow superuser command in the Langflow CLI. The default is true, but false is recommended to prevent unrestricted superuser creation. For more information, see langflow superuser.

LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER and LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD {#langflow-superuser}

These variables specify the username and password for the Langflow server's superuser.

LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER=administrator
LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD=securepassword

LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD is required if LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=False. LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER is optional and defaults to langflow. LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD can't use the legacy default value langflow; startup fails closed instead. When LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=True, LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER selects the auto-login account username and LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD is optional. If the password isn't set, Langflow generates an unknown bootstrap password for the auto-login account.

When you start a Langflow server with authentication enabled, if the required password is not set, then startup fails instead of creating a default password. These defaults don't apply when using the Langflow CLI command langflow superuser.

LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY {#langflow-secret-key}

This environment variable stores a secret key used for encrypting sensitive data like API keys and for JWT signing when using the HS256 algorithm. Langflow uses the Fernet library for secret key encryption. For JWT-specific configuration, see Configure JWT token signing.

If no secret key is provided, Langflow automatically generates one.

However, you should generate and explicitly set your own key in production environments. This is particularly important for multi-instance deployments like Kubernetes to ensure consistent encryption across instances.

To generate a secret encryption key for LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY, do the following:

1. Run the command to generate and copy a secret to the clipboard.

   <Tabs> <TabItem value="unix" label="macOS or Linux">

   • macOS: Generate a secret key and copy it to the clipboard:

     bashCopy

     python3 -c "from secrets import token_urlsafe; print(f'LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY={token_urlsafe(32)}')" | pbcopy
     

   • Linux: Generate a secret key and copy it to the clipboard:

     bashCopy

     python3 -c "from secrets import token_urlsafe; print(f'LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY={token_urlsafe(32)}')" | xclip -selection clipboard
     

   • Unix: Generate a secret key and print it to the terminal to manually copy it:

     bashCopy

     python3 -c "from secrets import token_urlsafe; print(f'LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY={token_urlsafe(32)}')"
     

   </TabItem> <TabItem value="windows" label="Windows">

   • Generate a secret key and copy it to the clipboard:

     bashCopy

     python -c "from secrets import token_urlsafe; print(f'LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY={token_urlsafe(32)}')"
     

   • Generate a secret key and print it to the terminal to manually copy it:

     bashCopy

     
     # Or just print
     python -c "from secrets import token_urlsafe; print(f'LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY={token_urlsafe(32)}')"
     

   </TabItem> </Tabs>

2. Paste the value into your .env file:

   textCopy

   LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY=dBuu...2kM2_fb
   

   If you're running Langflow on Docker, reference the LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY from your .env file in the docker-compose.yml file like this:

   Copy

    ```yaml
    environment:
      - LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY=${LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY}
    ```
   

Rotate the secret key {#rotating-the-secret-key}

Rotate LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY if the key might have been compromised and as part of your routine credential management practices. Langflow provides a migration script that re-encrypts stored credentials and other sensitive data with a new key so you can rotate without losing access.

For more information, see Secret Key Rotation in the Langflow Security Policy.

LANGFLOW_NEW_USER_IS_ACTIVE {#langflow-new-user-is-active}

When LANGFLOW_NEW_USER_IS_ACTIVE=False (default), accounts created by superusers are inactive by default and must be explicitly activated before users can sign in to the visual editor. The superuser can also deactivate a user's account as needed.

When LANGFLOW_NEW_USER_IS_ACTIVE=True, accounts created by superusers are automatically activated.

LANGFLOW_NEW_USER_IS_ACTIVE=False

Only superusers can manage user accounts for a Langflow server, but user management only matters if your server has authentication enabled. For more information, see Start a Langflow server with authentication enabled.

LANGFLOW_ENABLE_SIGNUP {#langflow-enable-signup}

This variable controls whether public self-registration is allowed at the POST /api/v1/users/ endpoint.

Self-registration is always disabled when LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=True, because single-user mode has no multi-account concept. Superusers can create accounts regardless of this setting.

LANGFLOW_API_KEY_SOURCE {#langflow-api-key-source}

This variable controls how Langflow validates API keys.

By default, Langflow validates the x-api-key header against the Langflow database with LANGFLOW_API_KEY_SOURCE=db. When using database-based validation, you can create multiple keys with per-user permissions, track usage, and manage keys through the Langflow UI or CLI.

When LANGFLOW_API_KEY_SOURCE=env, Langflow validates the x-api-key header against the value of the LANGFLOW_API_KEY environment variable. This means Langflow runs securely in stateless environments, such as with LFX or Kubernetes secrets.

When LANGFLOW_API_KEY_SOURCE=env, only a single API key can be used for the deployment. All authenticated requests use the same API key, and successful authentication grants superuser privileges. This mode is designed for single-tenant deployments or automated systems, not multi-user environments where different users need different access levels. To rotate your keys, update the environment variable and restart the Langflow server.

To enable environment-based API key validation:

1. In the Langflow .env file, set the API key source to env:

   textCopy

   LANGFLOW_API_KEY_SOURCE=env
   

2. In the Langflow .env file, set the API key value:

   textCopy

   LANGFLOW_API_KEY=your-secure-api-key
   

3. Use the API key in your requests:

   shellCopy

   curl -X POST \
     "http://LANGFLOW_SERVER_ADDRESS/api/v1/run/FLOW_ID?stream=false" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -H "x-api-key: LANGFLOW_API_KEY" \
     -d '{"inputs": {"text":""}, "tweaks": {}}'
   

   Replace LANGFLOW_SERVER_ADDRESS, FLOW_ID, and LANGFLOW_API_KEY with the values from your deployment.

To configure an environment-based API key in a Kubernetes Secret, do the following:

1. Create a Kubernetes Secret with your API key:

   yamlCopy

   apiVersion: v1
   kind: Secret
   metadata:
     name: langflow-api-key
   type: Opaque
   stringData:
     api-key: "YOUR_API_KEY"
   

   Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the LANGFLOW_API_KEY value from the Langflow .env file.

2. Reference the langflow-api-key Secret in your Kubernetes deployment:

   yamlCopy

   apiVersion: apps/v1
   kind: Deployment
   metadata:
     name: langflow
   spec:
     template:
       spec:
         containers:
         - name: langflow
           image: langflowai/langflow:latest
           env:
           - name: LANGFLOW_API_KEY_SOURCE
             value: "env"
           - name: LANGFLOW_API_KEY
             valueFrom:
               secretKeyRef:
                 name: langflow-api-key
                 key: api-key
   

To configure an environment-based API key in Docker Compose, do the following:

1. Set the API key in your Langflow .env file.

   textCopy

   LANGFLOW_API_KEY=your-secure-api-key
   

   Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual Langflow API key value.

2. Create or update your docker-compose.yml file to set LANGFLOW_API_KEY_SOURCE=env and reference the LANGFLOW_API_KEY.

   yamlCopy

   services:
     langflow:
       image: langflowai/langflow:latest
       environment:
         - LANGFLOW_API_KEY_SOURCE=env
         - LANGFLOW_API_KEY=${LANGFLOW_API_KEY}
       ports:
         - "7860:7860"
   

LANGFLOW_CORS_* {#cors-configuration-for-authentication}

Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) configuration controls how authentication credentials are handled when your Langflow frontend and backend are served from different origins. The following LANGFLOW_CORS_* environment variables are available:

The default configuration enables CORS credentials and uses wildcards (*) to allow all origins, headers, and methods:

LANGFLOW_CORS_ORIGINS=*
LANGFLOW_CORS_ALLOW_CREDENTIALS=True
LANGFLOW_CORS_ALLOW_HEADERS=*
LANGFLOW_CORS_ALLOW_METHODS=*

:::danger Langflow's default CORS settings can be a security risk in production environments because any website can make requests to your Langflow API, and any website can include credentials in cross-origin requests, including authentication cookies and authorization headers.

In production deployments, specify exact origins in LANGFLOW_CORS_ORIGINS. You can also specify allowed headers and methods, if needed. For example:

LANGFLOW_CORS_ORIGINS=["https://yourdomain.com","https://app.yourdomain.com"]
LANGFLOW_CORS_ALLOW_CREDENTIALS=True
LANGFLOW_CORS_ALLOW_HEADERS=["Content-Type","Authorization"]
LANGFLOW_CORS_ALLOW_METHODS=["GET","POST","PUT"]

:::

LANGFLOW_ACCESS_* {#session-cookie-hardening}

For a shared or public deployment served over HTTPS, harden the access-token cookie. These default to permissive values for local HTTP development and for the current frontend, which reads the access token in JavaScript.

The refresh-token cookie is HttpOnly + Secure + SameSite by default.

LANGFLOW_RATE_LIMIT_* {#login-rate-limiting}

The following environment variables configure IP-based rate limiting to protect against brute-force attacks on the /login endpoint and abuse of public flow endpoints. When the limit is exceeded, Langflow returns HTTP 429 with a Retry-After: 60 header.

LANGFLOW_SSRF_* and LANGFLOW_CONNECTOR_SSRF_* {#ssrf-protection}

The following environment variables configure Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) protection for the API Request component and for connector components that take a tenant-controlled host or URL. SSRF protection prevents requests to internal or private network resources, such as private IP ranges, loopback addresses, and cloud metadata endpoints.

In a shared server where users you do not fully trust can build flows, set LANGFLOW_CONNECTOR_SSRF_VALIDATION_ENABLED=true, LANGFLOW_SSRF_PROTECTION_ENABLED=true, and LANGFLOW_CONNECTOR_SSRF_ALLOW_LOOPBACK=false, and then allowlist your own internal hosts with LANGFLOW_SSRF_ALLOWED_HOSTS.

Component hardening for untrusted users {#multi-tenant-component-hardening}

Use these variables when users who can build or run flows on your server should not get host-level code execution, arbitrary file reads, or MCP mounts.

For more information, see Docker image defaults.

Enable these flags when untrusted users can build flows on this server.

The LANGFLOW_ALLOW_CUSTOM_COMPONENTS and LANGFLOW_BLOCK_CODE_INTERPRETER_COMPONENTS flags are complementary. LANGFLOW_ALLOW_CUSTOM_COMPONENTS=false blocks user-authored component code, but built-in code-execution components still pass that check because their class code is trusted. Set LANGFLOW_BLOCK_CODE_INTERPRETER_COMPONENTS=true to block those built-in components as well.

To enable these flags, set the following:

• LANGFLOW_ALLOW_CUSTOM_COMPONENTS=false: blocks user-authored component code. See Block custom components.
• LANGFLOW_BLOCK_CODE_INTERPRETER_COMPONENTS=true: blocks built-in code-execution components.
• LANGFLOW_RESTRICT_LOCAL_FILE_ACCESS=true: confines built-in file access to the upload sandbox.
• LANGFLOW_MCP_SERVER_DOCKER_HARDENING=true: tightens Docker MCP server arguments.

Pair these settings with the SSRF settings to reduce common escape hatches.

These settings do not provide full user isolation. For more information, see Security.

:::tip Do not enable a shared tracer when users are untrusted. Instead, use built-in local tracing. External tracing integrations such as Langfuse and Arize are process-wide, not per user, so on a shared server, every user's flow inputs and outputs will go to the same tracing project. :::

LANGFLOW_WEBHOOK_AUTH_ENABLE {#langflow-webhook-auth-enable}

This variable controls whether API key authentication is required for webhook endpoints.

By default, webhooks require API key authentication with LANGFLOW_WEBHOOK_AUTH_ENABLE=True.

To allow webhooks to run without authentication (not recommended; use only in trusted environments), in your Langflow .env file, set LANGFLOW_WEBHOOK_AUTH_ENABLE=False.

When webhook authentication is enabled, you must provide a Langflow API key with each webhook request as an HTTP header or query parameter. For more information, see Require authentication for webhooks.

Configure JWT token signing {#configure-jwt-token-signing}

Langflow issues short-lived JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) when a user logs in. The default HS256 algorithm works for most deployments. Switch to RS256 or RS512 for production deployments that require asymmetric keys or need to share the public key with other services.

When a user logs in at the /api/v1/login endpoint, Langflow validates the credentials and creates a JWT containing the user's identity and expiration time. This token is then used for subsequent API requests instead of sending credentials with each request.

A JWT consists of three parts separated by dots (.):

eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzdWIiOiIxMjM0NTY3ODkwIiwibmFtZSI6IkpvaG4gRG9lIiwiaWF0IjoxNTE2MjM5MDIyfQ.SflKxwRJSMeKKF2QT4fwpMeJf36POk6yJV_adQssw5c

• The header contains the token type and signing algorithm.
• The payload contains claims — token data for user information and expiration time.
• The signature ensures the token hasn't been tampered with.

Each part of the JWT is Base64URL-encoded. You can paste this example JWT to decode the actual JSON data at jwt.io.

The following environment variables control JWT signing. LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY is also used for data encryption and is documented separately in LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY.

HS256 (default)

HS256 is the default JWT algorithm, suitable for single-server deployments. Langflow automatically generates and persists a secret key via LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY. No configuration is necessary beyond what is already covered in the LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY section above.

To explicitly set the algorithm in your .env:

LANGFLOW_ALGORITHM=HS256
LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY="your-custom-secret-key"

RS256

RS256 uses an RSA private/public key pair. The private key signs tokens; the public key verifies them. Use RS256 for production deployments or multi-instance setups where you want to share the public key with other services.

To automatically generate a key pair, set the algorithm and Langflow creates and persists the keys in LANGFLOW_CONFIG_DIR on startup:

LANGFLOW_ALGORITHM=RS256

To supply your own private key (public key is derived automatically):

LANGFLOW_ALGORITHM=RS256
LANGFLOW_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
MIIEvgIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEF...
-----END PRIVATE KEY-----"

To supply a full key pair:

LANGFLOW_ALGORITHM=RS256
LANGFLOW_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
MIIEvgIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEF...
-----END PRIVATE KEY-----"
LANGFLOW_PUBLIC_KEY="-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----
MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOC...
-----END PUBLIC KEY-----"

To generate an RSA key pair manually:

1. Generate a 2048-bit private key:

   bashCopy

   openssl genrsa -out private_key.pem 2048
   

2. Extract the public key:

   bashCopy

   openssl rsa -in private_key.pem -pubout -out public_key.pem
   

RS512

RS512 uses the same RSA key format as RS256 but with SHA-512 hashing for greater cryptographic strength. Key generation and configuration follow the same pattern as RS256 — substitute RS512 for RS256 in all the examples above.

Configure Docker and Kubernetes deployments

Docker with HS256 — for single-server or development deployments:

services:
  langflow:
    image: langflowai/langflow:latest
    environment:
      - LANGFLOW_ALGORITHM=HS256
      - LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY=${LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY}
    volumes:
      - langflow_data:/app/langflow
volumes:
  langflow_data:

Docker with RS256 — auto-generated keys (persisted in the volume):

services:
  langflow:
    image: langflowai/langflow:latest
    environment:
      - LANGFLOW_ALGORITHM=RS256
    volumes:
      - langflow_data:/app/langflow
volumes:
  langflow_data:

Docker with RS256 — mount an existing key pair:

services:
  langflow:
    image: langflowai/langflow:latest
    environment:
      - LANGFLOW_ALGORITHM=RS256
    volumes:
      - ./keys/private_key.pem:/app/langflow/private_key.pem:ro
      - ./keys/public_key.pem:/app/langflow/public_key.pem:ro
      - langflow_data:/app/langflow
volumes:
  langflow_data:

Kubernetes with RS256 — store keys as Secrets:

# jwt-secret.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: langflow-jwt-keys
type: Opaque
stringData:
  algorithm: "RS256"
  private-key: |
    -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
    MIIEvgIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEF...
    -----END PRIVATE KEY-----
  public-key: |
    -----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----
    MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOC...
    -----END PUBLIC KEY-----
---
# langflow-deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: langflow
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: langflow
          image: langflowai/langflow:latest
          env:
            - name: LANGFLOW_ALGORITHM
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  name: langflow-jwt-keys
                  key: algorithm
            - name: LANGFLOW_PRIVATE_KEY
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  name: langflow-jwt-keys
                  key: private-key
            - name: LANGFLOW_PUBLIC_KEY
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  name: langflow-jwt-keys
                  key: public-key

Configure token expiration

Access tokens authenticate API requests and typically expire within 15 minutes to 1 hour. Refresh tokens obtain new access tokens without requiring the user to log in again and typically expire within 7 to 30 days. When an access token expires, the client can use the refresh token to get a new one from /api/v1/refresh.

LANGFLOW_ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRE_SECONDS=3600    # 1 hour
LANGFLOW_REFRESH_TOKEN_EXPIRE_SECONDS=604800 # 7 days

Start a Langflow server with authentication enabled {#start-a-langflow-server-with-authentication-enabled}

This section shows you how to use the authentication environment variables to deploy a Langflow server with authentication enabled. This involves disabling automatic login, setting superuser credentials, generating a secret encryption key, and enabling user management.

This configuration is recommended for any deployment where Langflow is exposed to a shared or public network, or where multiple users access the same Langflow server.

:::tip Docker images Official Langflow Docker images already set LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=false. You still must set LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD (and optionally LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER) before the container can start. For more information, see Docker image defaults. :::

With authentication enabled, all users must sign in to the visual editor with valid credentials, and API requests require authentication with a Langflow API key. Additionally, you must sign in as a superuser to manage users and create a Langflow API key with superuser privileges.

Start the Langflow server

1. Create a .env file with the following variables:

   textCopy

   LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=False
   LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER=
   LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD=
   LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY=
   LANGFLOW_NEW_USER_IS_ACTIVE=False
   LANGFLOW_ENABLE_SUPERUSER_CLI=False
   

   Your .env file can have other environment variables. This example focuses on authentication variables.

2. Set LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD to your desired superuser password. Optionally set LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER to override the default langflow username.

   For a one-time test, you can use basic credentials like administrator and password. Strong, securely-stored credentials are recommended in genuine development and production environments.

3. Recommended: Generate and set a LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY for encrypting sensitive data.

   If you don't set a secret key, Langflow generates one automatically, but this isn't recommended for production environments.

   For instructions on generating and setting a secret key, see LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY.

4. Save your .env file with the populated variables. For example:

   textCopy

   LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=False
   LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER=administrator
   LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD=securepassword
   LANGFLOW_SECRET_KEY=dBuu...2kM2_fb
   LANGFLOW_NEW_USER_IS_ACTIVE=False
   LANGFLOW_ENABLE_SUPERUSER_CLI=False
   

5. Start Langflow with the configuration from your .env file:

   textCopy

   uv run langflow run --env-file .env
   

   Starting Langflow with this .env file creates or uses the configured superuser. If LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD isn't set, startup fails instead of creating a default password.

6. Verify the server is running. The default location is http://localhost:7860.

Next, you can add users to your Langflow server to collaborate with others on flows.

Manage users as an administrator

1. To complete your first-time login as a superuser, go to http://localhost:7860/login.

   If you aren't using the default location, replace localhost:7860 with your server's address.

2. Log in with the superuser credentials from your .env: the LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER username, or langflow if unset, and the LANGFLOW_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD password.

3. To manage users on your server, navigate to /admin, such as http://localhost:7860/admin, click your profile icon, and then click Admin Page.

   As a superuser, you can add users, set permissions, reset passwords, and delete accounts.

4. To add a user, click New User, and then complete the user account form:

   1. Enter a username and password.
   2. To activate the account immediately, select Active. Inactive users cannot sign in or access flows they created before becoming inactive.
   3. Deselect Superuser if you don't want the user to have full administrative privileges.
   4. Click Save. The new user appears in the Admin Page.

5. Send the credentials to the user so they can sign in to Langflow. The superuser sets the initial password when creating the account, so users must receive their login credentials from the superuser.

6. To test the new user's access, sign out of Langflow, and then sign in with the new user's credentials.

   Try to access the /admin page. You are redirected to the /flows page if the new user isn't a superuser.

See also

• Langflow environment variables
• Langflow Security Policy — reporting vulnerabilities, security configuration, and secret key rotation