# Enabled xpack.security.authc.api\_key.enabled=true but \_security/api\_key still not working
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabled-xpack-security-authc-api-key-enabled-true-but-security-api-key-still-not-working/266831
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Tags:** elastic-stack-security
**Created:** [March 10, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabled-xpack-security-authc-api-key-enabled-true-but-security-api-key-still-not-working/266831 "2021-03-10T15:24:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@PaulMess](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PaulMess)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabled-xpack-security-authc-api-key-enabled-true-but-security-api-key-still-not-working/266831/1 "2021-03-10T15:24:42Z")
Hello, I stared a ES Cluster with xpack.security.authc.api\_key.enabled=true, If I check node settings inform that is enabled
```auto
"security" : {
"authc" : {
"api_key" : {
"enabled" : "true"
}
},
```
But, I I try to get or create an API key, with:
```auto
POST /_security/api_key
{
"name": "my-api-key",
"expiration": "1d",
"role_descriptors": {
"role-a": {
"cluster": ["all"],
"index": [
{
"names": ["replica*"],
"privileges": ["read"]
}
]
}
}
}
```
I got
```auto
{
"error" : {
"root_cause" : [
{
"type" : "invalid_index_name_exception",
"reason" : "Invalid index name [_security], must not start with '_', '-', or '+'",
"index_uuid" : "_na_",
"index" : "_security"
}
],
"type" : "invalid_index_name_exception",
"reason" : "Invalid index name [_security], must not start with '_', '-', or '+'",
"index_uuid" : "_na_",
"index" : "_security"
},
"status" : 400
}
```
Should I do something else?
---
### Author:  [@ikakavas](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ikakavas)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabled-xpack-security-authc-api-key-enabled-true-but-security-api-key-still-not-working/266831/2 "2021-03-10T15:30:32Z")
The solution is right there in the error message you get
> "Incorrect HTTP method.. [GET], allowed: [POST]"
You need to make an HTTP POST request and you are making an HTTP GET instead. The [docs](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/security-api-create-api-key.html) might also be helpful to you
---
### Author:  [@PaulMess](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PaulMess)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabled-xpack-security-authc-api-key-enabled-true-but-security-api-key-still-not-working/266831/3 "2021-03-10T15:35:40Z")
Thanks @ikakavas I just fixed the info
---
### Author:  [@ikakavas](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ikakavas)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabled-xpack-security-authc-api-key-enabled-true-but-security-api-key-still-not-working/266831/4 "2021-03-10T18:16:14Z")
What version of the stack are you using and what other configuration parameters do you pass ( to I presume your docker run command ) ?
You'd need at least also `xpack.security.enabled=true`
---
### Author:  [@PaulMess](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PaulMess)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2021, 12:14pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabled-xpack-security-authc-api-key-enabled-true-but-security-api-key-still-not-working/266831/5 "2021-03-11T12:14:29Z")
I am using 7.11.0, in three boxes I am running a composer like this:
```auto
version: "3"
services:
elasticsearch:
image: docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch:7.11.0
container_name: es01
hostname: es01
environment:
- node.name=es01
- node.master=true
- node.data=true
- network.publish_host=172.28.198.53
- network.host=_local_,_site_
- transport.port=9300
- transport.tcp.keep_alive=true
- cluster.name=es-cluster
- cluster.initial_master_nodes=es01,es02,es03,es04
- discovery.seed_hosts=127.0.0.1,172.28.198.54,172.28.198.56,172.28.198.57
- discovery.zen.minimum_master_nodes=2
- xpack.monitoring.collection.enabled=true
- xpack.security.enabled=true
- xpack.security.transport.ssl.enabled=false
- xpack.security.authc.api_key.enabled=true
- cluster.routing.allocation.enable=all
- path.repo=/nfs/ELK/backups
- "ES_JAVA_OPTS=-Xms512m -Xmx512m"
- node.attr.size=medium
- ELASTIC_PASSWORD=changeme
ports:
- "9200:9200"
- "9300:9300"
volumes:
- "/var/log/elasticsearch-data/data:/usr/share/elasticsearch/data"
- "/var/log/elasticsearch-data/config:/usr/share/elasticsearch/config"
- "/var/log/elasticsearch-data/logs:/usr/share/elasticsearch/logs"
- "/var/log/elasticsearch-data/plugins:/usr/share/elasticsearch/plugins"
- "/nfs/ELK/backups:/nfs/ELK/backups"
expose:
- "9200"
- "9300"
network_mode: bridge
```
I have xpack.security.enabled=true already, just I did configure ssl yet
---
### Author:  [@PaulMess](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PaulMess)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabled-xpack-security-authc-api-key-enabled-true-but-security-api-key-still-not-working/266831/6 "2021-03-11T12:30:52Z")
In a weird mode, If I check the settings of the node with:
```auto
curl -s -XGET "http://172.28.198.53:9200/_nodes/settings" | jq ".nodes | .[] | .settings | .xpack" > t.json
```
Appears the auth.api\_key and transport.ssl as I configured, but not the security.enabled=true
```auto
{
"monitoring": {
"collection": {
"enabled": "true"
}
},
"security": {
"authc": {
"api_key": {
"enabled": "true"
}
},
"enabled": "false",
"transport": {
"ssl": {
"enabled": "false"
}
}
}
}
```
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2021, 12:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabled-xpack-security-authc-api-key-enabled-true-but-security-api-key-still-not-working/266831/7 "2021-04-08T12:31:41Z")
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