What is API Key Propagation?

When a new API key is created or an existing key is updated, it needs to be synchronised across all of BigDataCloud's API servers before it becomes active worldwide. This synchronisation process is called API key propagation, and it typically completes within 10 minutes.

The process is similar to DNS propagation: a change is made at the source, but it takes a short time for that change to reach every server in the network. Until propagation is complete, some servers may not yet recognise the new or updated key.

What this means in practice

If you have just created a new account or regenerated your API key and receive an authentication error, wait up to 10 minutes and try again. You will also receive an automated email notification once your key is fully active across the network.

Why propagation takes time

BigDataCloud's API infrastructure is distributed across multiple data centres worldwide. Each request is handled by the nearest available server to minimise latency. For a key update to take effect globally, it must be pushed to every server in this distributed network — a process that takes a short but non-zero amount of time.

This architecture is what enables the high availability and low latency of the APIs. The brief propagation window is a necessary consequence of running a globally distributed system.