# Creating a Maps identifier and a private key Create a Maps identifier and a private key before generating tokens for MapKit JS. ## Discussion MapKit JS uses a token to authenticate map initializations and other API requests. Before you can create a token, you need a Maps identifier (Maps ID) and private key that’s associated with a Maps ID. You create a Maps ID and private keys through your [Apple Developer Account](https://developer.apple.com/account). After you complete the steps to obtain these items you can construct a token and sign it with your private key, as [Creating and using tokens with Maps Server API](/documentation/AppleMapsServerAPI/creating-and-using-tokens-with-maps-server-api) describes. ### Create a Maps ID A Maps ID is a string that you provide to identify a domain or environment that calls the MapKit JS API. Maps IDs use reverse-domain-style notation with three or four fields separated by a dot. The first field must be `maps`; the remainder of this string can be a name that’s meaningful to you. For example, your string might resemble `maps.com.mywebsite` or `maps.com.mycompany.mywebsite`. To create a Maps ID, follow these steps: 1. Go to [developer.apple.com/account](https://developer.apple.com/account) and log in with your Apple Developer credentials. 2. Under [Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles](https://developer.apple.com/account/ios/certificate), click Identifiers in the sidebar. 3. At the top of the identifiers list, click the Add Identifiers button (+). 4. On the following page, select the Maps IDs checkbox, and then click the Continue button at the top of the page. 5. Enter a string for the description. This can be your app name, team name, project name, or anything that conveys context and is meaningful to you. 6. Enter a reverse-domain-style string for the identifier (for example, `maps.com.mycompany.mywebsite`), then click Continue. 7. Review the information, then click Register. If you have multiple environments, such as a development environment and a production environment, it’s good practice to create separate Maps IDs and keys for each environment. That way, if a key you use in production becomes compromised, revoking it doesn’t affect your UAT or test environments. ### Obtain a MapKit JS private key After you create a Maps ID, the next steps are to create a private key, add the MapKit JS service to this key, and associate it with a Maps ID: 1. In [Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles](https://developer.apple.com/account/ios/certificate), click Keys in the sidebar, then click the Keys + button at the top of the keys list. 2. Under Key Name, enter a unique name for the key. 3. Below that, select the checkbox next to MapKit JS. Note that the MapKit JS checkbox isn’t in an enabled state until you create a Maps ID. 4. Near the top right of the page, click Configure. On the next page, choose a Maps ID to associate to this key from the pop-up menu, then click Save. 5. Click Continue, review the key configuration, then click Register. 6. Optionally, click Download to download the key. The private key is available to download a single time. If the Download button isn’t in an enabled state, you previously downloaded the key associated with this identifier. 7. Click Done. After executing these steps, you have a private key that you can use to sign tokens, and you can begin [Creating and using tokens with Maps Server API](/documentation/AppleMapsServerAPI/creating-and-using-tokens-with-maps-server-api). > Important: > The private key is a shared secret between you and Apple. To keep your private key secure, don’t put your private key in public facing client-side code, and don’t share the key. The private key doesn’t expire, but you can revoke it. Revoking a key makes it invalid and affects calls to the MapKit JS API. If you lose a key or if someone else starts using your key, revoke it. See [Revoke, edit, and download keys](https://help.apple.com/developer-account/#/dev3a82eef1c?sub=deve86584d6a) for more information. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)