root@generate-random:~/api-keys/cpp$ _

Generate API Keys in C++

Complete code tutorial with examples and best practices

C++

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[ Code Example - Quick Summary ]

Language: C++

What: Generate cryptographically secure API keys in C++ using modern C++11/14/17 random facilities. Suitable for native applications, game servers, and embedded systems.

Try it: Use our interactive Api-keys generator or integrate this code into your C++ application.

Generate cryptographically secure API keys in C++ using modern C++11/14/17 random facilities. Suitable for native applications, game servers, and embedded systems. Looking for other languages? Check our code examples in PHP , JavaScript , Python , Java , C# , Ruby and Go or use our interactive web generator.

C++ Code Example

#include <iostream>
#include <random>
#include <sstream>
#include <iomanip>

class ApiKeyGenerator {
private:
    std::random_device rd;

public:
    std::string generateApiKey(size_t length = 32) {
        std::vector<unsigned char> bytes(length);

        // Generate random bytes
        for (size_t i = 0; i < length; ++i) {
            bytes[i] = static_cast<unsigned char>(rd() % 256);
        }

        // Convert to hexadecimal
        std::stringstream ss;
        ss << std::hex << std::setfill('0');
        for (unsigned char byte : bytes) {
            ss << std::setw(2) << static_cast<int>(byte);
        }

        return ss.str();
    }
};

int main() {
    ApiKeyGenerator generator;

    // Generate 256-bit (32 byte) API key
    std::string apiKey = generator.generateApiKey(32);
    std::cout << "API Key: " << apiKey << std::endl;
    // Output: "a7f3e9c2d8b4f1a6e5c9d7b3f8a2e6c4d9b5f7a3e8c6d2b9f4a7e1c5d8b3f6a9"

    return 0;
}

[EXPLANATION]

Modern C++ provides std::random_device for accessing hardware entropy sources. This implementation generates random bytes and converts them to hexadecimal representation using std::stringstream. For production use with higher security requirements, consider using OpenSSL or Crypto++ libraries for cryptographically secure random generation.

Expected Output

API Key: a7f3e9c2d8b4f1a6e5c9d7b3f8a2e6c4d9b5f7a3e8c6d2b9f4a7e1c5d8b3f6a9
API Key: c4e8f2a9d6b7e3f1a8c5d9b2e6f4a7c1d8b3e9f6a2c7d5b1e4f8a3c9d6b7e2f5
API Key: b9f5a3c8e2d7f4a1b6e9c3d8f7a2b5e1c6d9f4a7b3e8c2d6f1a9b4e7c5d3f8a6