> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.placematic.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How do I get a HERE API key?

> Two paths: self-serve on HERE's portal, or partner-issued with entitlements confirmed for your use case. The difference matters more than the speed.

# How do I get a HERE API key?

**Short answer:** Sign up on HERE's developer portal, or get credentials issued through a Gold Partner. The self-serve path is faster. The partner path tells you, before you build, whether your key covers the API you're about to depend on.

## The longer version

**Self-serve.** Create a HERE platform account, register an app, generate a key. Minutes. You get a key against the free tier.

<Warning>
  **Raster Tile API v3 requires a HERE *platform* account.** Older HERE *developer* account keys do not work against it. This trips up teams following 2021 tutorials.
</Warning>

**Partner-issued.** You describe what you're building — not "we need mapping," but "truck routing for an ELD platform" — and receive keys with the relevant entitlements enabled.

## Why entitlement matters more than speed

**Not every HERE API is in the free tier.** Entitlements vary by account type.

A team can build a working prototype, present it to leadership, get approval, and only then discover the specific API their product depends on carries different terms in a production contract.

<Warning>
  **Verify each API you plan to use, individually, before sprint planning.** One `curl` per endpoint. Ten minutes. It will save you a quarter.

  `200` = valid key, entitled.
  `401` = wrong key.
  `403` = right key, **missing entitlement**. Retrying is futile.

  Learn to tell these apart on day one.
</Warning>

Truck routing inclusion in the free tier specifically should be confirmed against your account before you scope a pilot around it. Do not assume from general documentation.

## Common misconceptions

**"Free tier is a production sandbox."**
It's a rate-limited product boundary. If you exceed it in staging, you'll exceed it in production.

**"One key covers web and mobile."**
Web tile access and mobile SDK access are **separate entitlements**. Discovering this at app store submission is expensive.

**"`403` is a transient error."**
It will never succeed on retry. It's a commercial conversation, not a technical one.

**"I need my own HERE account to use HERE."**
Not if you license through a Gold Partner. Placematic USA LLC becomes the contracting party.

## Do this before you write code

```bash theme={null}
# Does this key route trucks?
curl -gX GET 'https://router.hereapi.com/v8/routes' \
  --data-urlencode 'transportMode=truck' \
  --data-urlencode 'origin=42.0641,-88.0509' \
  --data-urlencode 'destination=41.5250,-88.0817' \
  --data-urlencode 'vehicle[height]=410' \
  --data-urlencode "apiKey=${HERE_API_KEY}" -G
```

Repeat for every endpoint in your design. `403` on any of them is information you want in week one, not week six.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Getting a HERE API Key" href="/start-here/getting-a-here-api-key">
    Sandbox vs production, entitlements, and confirming coverage.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" href="/start-here/authentication">
    Key handling, rotation without downtime, error semantics.
  </Card>

  <Card title="How do I handle rate limits?" href="/faq/how-do-i-handle-rate-limits">
    `429` and `403` are different problems.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Do I buy from HERE or Placematic?" href="/faq/do-i-buy-from-here-or-placematic">
    The commercial paths, honestly compared.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

**HERE documentation:** [Identity and Access Management](https://www.here.com/docs)

***

Need production HERE API keys or implementation support? Placematic is an official HERE Technologies reseller and implementation partner. [Talk to us](https://placematic.com/contact/).