Laravel App Key Generator

Generate secure application keys for your Laravel projects

Generate Your Laravel App Key

Instantly create secure, Laravel-compatible application keys. Simply copy and paste into your .env file.

Your Laravel App Key

Generating...

Quick Usage

Copy the generated key and add it to your .env file:

APP_KEY=

What is a Laravel App Key?

A Laravel application key is a base64-encoded 32-byte random string used for encrypting data in your Laravel application. It's one of the most critical security components of your Laravel project and should be unique for every application.

The app key is stored in your .env file as APP_KEY and is used by Laravel's encryption services to secure user sessions, cookies, and other encrypted data.

What Laravel App Keys Are Used For

Encryption & Security

  • • Encrypting user sessions and cookies
  • • Securing password reset tokens
  • • Encrypting sensitive database fields
  • • Generating secure random strings

Learn more about Laravel's encryption features in the encryption documentation .

Framework Functions

  • • CSRF token generation
  • • Signed URL creation
  • • API token encryption
  • • Cache key signing

Explore Laravel's security mechanisms in the CSRF protection guide and signed URLs documentation .

What Laravel App Keys Are NOT Used For

  • • Database passwords: App keys don't secure your database connections
  • • API authentication: External API keys are separate from your app key
  • • User passwords: User passwords are hashed separately using bcrypt/argon2
  • • File system security: App keys don't protect files on your server
  • • SSL/TLS encryption: HTTPS encryption is handled separately

Learn more about Laravel's password hashing in the hashing documentation .

Understand Laravel's authentication system in the authentication guide .

For database security best practices, see the database configuration documentation .

How to Use Your Laravel App Key

1. Add to your .env file

For more details about Laravel environment configuration, see the environment configuration guide .

2. Alternative: Use Artisan Command

⚠️ Important Security Notes:

  • • Never commit your app key to version control
  • • Use different keys for different environments
  • • Changing the app key will invalidate existing sessions
  • • Keep your app key secret and secure

How Keys Are Generated

Both this website and Laravel's php artisan key:generate command use the exact same code to generate application keys, ensuring complete compatibility.

The Key Generation Code

View the complete implementation in Laravel's KeyGenerateCommand source code on GitHub.

This Website

Uses Laravel's Encrypter::generateKey() method with AES-256-CBC cipher

Artisan Command

Uses the same Encrypter::generateKey() method with your app's configured cipher

🔐 Security & Compatibility

  • • Both use PHP's cryptographically secure random_bytes() function
  • • Keys are generated with 32 bytes of entropy (256-bit security)
  • • Base64 encoding ensures safe storage in environment files
  • • 100% compatible with Laravel's encryption system

API for Laravel Key Generation

In addition to using this web interface, you can programmatically generate Laravel application keys using our simple API endpoint. This is perfect for automation scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or integrating key generation into your development workflow.

By default, the API returns the key as a plain string. You can optionally request a wrapped response format by setting the wrapped parameter to true. When wrapped, the response becomes a JSON object with the generated key available under the key property.

API Endpoints

POST https://appkeyforlaravel.com/api/generate
GET https://appkeyforlaravel.com/api/generate

Both GET and POST requests are supported for convenience.

Example Usage

cURL (POST):

curl -X POST https://appkeyforlaravel.com/api/generate \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json"

cURL (POST with wrapped response):

curl -X POST https://appkeyforlaravel.com/api/generate \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-d '{"wrapped": true}'

cURL (GET):

curl https://appkeyforlaravel.com/api/generate

cURL (GET with wrapped response):

curl "https://appkeyforlaravel.com/api/generate?wrapped=1"

JavaScript (fetch):

const response = await fetch('https://appkeyforlaravel.com/api/generate', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
'Accept': 'application/json'
}
});
const key = await response.json();

Response Formats

Default Response (plain string):

"base64:abcd1234..."

Wrapped Response (when wrapped=true):

{"key": "base64:abcd1234..."}

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same app key for multiple Laravel applications?

No, each Laravel application should have its own unique app key for security reasons. Sharing app keys between applications creates security vulnerabilities.

What happens if I change my app key?

Changing your app key will invalidate all existing user sessions, encrypted cookies, and any data encrypted with the previous key. Users will need to log in again.

Is this generator secure?

Yes, our generator uses Laravel's built-in cryptographically secure random number generation. The keys are generated on the server using the same method as Laravel's artisan command.