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Disabling a key makes it invalid for verification without permanently deleting it. The key can be re-enabled at any time, restoring full access.

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When to use this

Payment issues

Customer’s payment failed, disable their key until billing is resolved.

Suspicious activity

Investigate potential abuse without losing the key’s configuration.

Scheduled maintenance

Temporarily block access during system updates.

Account suspension

Suspend a user’s API access while keeping their key for potential reactivation.

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Disable a key

curl -X POST https://api.unkey.com/v2/keys.updateKey \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $UNKEY_ROOT_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "keyId": "key_...",
    "enabled": false
  }'

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Verification response

When a disabled key is verified, it returns valid: false with code DISABLED: 
{
  "meta": { "requestId": "req_..." },
  "data": {
    "valid": false,
    "code": "DISABLED",
    "keyId": "key_...",
    "enabled": false
  }
}

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Re-enable a key

curl -X POST https://api.unkey.com/v2/keys.updateKey \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $UNKEY_ROOT_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "keyId": "key_...",
    "enabled": true
  }'

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Disabled vs Deleted

ActionDisabledDeleted
Key verifies?❌ No (code: DISABLED)❌ No (code: NOT_FOUND)
Can be restored?✅ Yes❌ No
Keeps configuration?✅ Yes❌ No
Keeps analytics?✅ Yes⚠️ Limited
Use disabling for temporary blocks. Only delete keys when you’re sure the user won’t need them again.
Last modified on May 22, 2026