> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://unkey.com/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Update Identity > Update an identity's metadata and rate limits. Only specified fields are modified - others remain unchanged. Perfect for subscription changes, plan upgrades, or updating user information. Changes take effect immediately. > **Important** > Requires `identity.*.update_identity` permission > Rate limit changes propagate within 30 seconds ## OpenAPI ````yaml https://spec.speakeasy.com/unkey/unkey/openapi-json-with-code-samples post /v2/identities.updateIdentity openapi: 3.1.0 info: description: >- Unkey's API provides programmatic access for all resources within our platform. ### Authentication # This API uses HTTP Bearer authentication with root keys. Most endpoints require specific permissions associated with your root key. When making requests, include your root key in the `Authorization` header: ``` Authorization: Bearer unkey_xxxxxxxxxxx ``` All responses follow a consistent envelope structure that separates operational metadata from actual data. This design provides several benefits: - Debugging: Every response includes a unique requestId for tracing issues - Consistency: Predictable response format across all endpoints - Extensibility: Easy to add new metadata without breaking existing integrations - Error Handling: Unified error format with actionable information ### Success Response Format: ```json { "meta": { "requestId": "req_123456" }, "data": { // Actual response data here } } ``` The meta object contains operational information: - `requestId`: Unique identifier for this request (essential for support) The data object contains the actual response data specific to each endpoint. ### Paginated Response Format: ```json { "meta": { "requestId": "req_123456" }, "data": [ // Array of results ], "pagination": { "cursor": "next_page_token", "hasMore": true } } ``` The pagination object appears on list endpoints and contains: - `cursor`: Token for requesting the next page - `hasMore`: Whether more results are available ### Error Response Format: ```json { "meta": { "requestId": "req_2c9a0jf23l4k567" }, "error": { "detail": "The resource you are attempting to modify is protected and cannot be changed", "status": 403, "title": "Forbidden", "type": "https://unkey.com/docs/errors/unkey/application/protected_resource" } } ``` Error responses include comprehensive diagnostic information: - `title`: Human-readable error summary - `detail`: Specific description of what went wrong - `status`: HTTP status code - `type`: Link to error documentation - `errors`: Array of validation errors (for 400 responses) This structure ensures you always have the context needed to debug issues and take corrective action. title: Unkey API version: 2.0.0 servers: - url: https://api.unkey.com security: - rootKey: [] tags: - description: Analytics query operations name: analytics - description: API management operations name: apis - description: Deployment operations name: deploy - description: Identity management operations name: identities - description: API key management operations name: keys - description: Health check operations name: liveness - description: Permission and role management operations name: permissions - description: Customer Portal session management name: portal - description: Rate limiting operations name: ratelimit paths: /v2/identities.updateIdentity: post: tags: - identities summary: Update Identity description: > Update an identity's metadata and rate limits. Only specified fields are modified - others remain unchanged. Perfect for subscription changes, plan upgrades, or updating user information. Changes take effect immediately. > **Important** > Requires `identity.*.update_identity` permission > Rate limit changes propagate within 30 seconds operationId: identities.updateIdentity requestBody: content: application/json: examples: updateMetadata: summary: Update metadata value: identity: user_123 meta: email: alice@example.com name: Alice Smith plan: premium schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/V2IdentitiesUpdateIdentityRequestBody' required: true responses: '200': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/V2IdentitiesUpdateIdentityResponseBody' description: Identity successfully updated '400': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BadRequestErrorResponse' description: Bad request '401': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/UnauthorizedErrorResponse' description: Unauthorized '403': content: application/json: examples: missingPermission: summary: Missing required permission value: error: detail: >- Your root key requires the 'identity.*.update_identity' permission to perform this operation status: 403 title: Forbidden type: forbidden meta: requestId: req_0uVwX4yZaAbCdEfGhIjKl schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ForbiddenErrorResponse' description: >- Forbidden - Insufficient permissions (requires `identity.*.update_identity`) '404': content: application/json: examples: identityNotFound: summary: Identity not found value: error: detail: Identity with externalId "user_123" not found. status: 404 title: Not Found type: not_found meta: requestId: req_2wXyZaAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOp schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/NotFoundErrorResponse' description: >- Not Found - Identity with the specified ID or externalId doesn't exist '429': content: application/problem+json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/TooManyRequestsErrorResponse' description: Too Many Requests '500': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/InternalServerErrorResponse' description: Internal server error security: - rootKey: [] x-codeSamples: - lang: go label: Go (SDK) source: "package main\n\nimport(\n\t\"context\"\n\t\"os\"\n\tunkey \"github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2\"\n\t\"github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2/models/components\"\n\t\"log\"\n)\n\nfunc main() {\n ctx := context.Background()\n\n s := unkey.New(\n unkey.WithSecurity(os.Getenv(\"UNKEY_ROOT_KEY\")),\n )\n\n res, err := s.Identities.UpdateIdentity(ctx, components.V2IdentitiesUpdateIdentityRequestBody{\n Identity: \"user_123\",\n Meta: map[string]any{\n \"email\": \"alice@example.com\",\n \"name\": \"Alice Smith\",\n \"plan\": \"premium\",\n },\n })\n if err != nil {\n log.Fatal(err)\n }\n if res.V2IdentitiesUpdateIdentityResponseBody != nil {\n // handle response\n }\n}" - lang: python label: Python (SDK) source: |- from unkey.py import Unkey with Unkey( root_key="", ) as unkey: res = unkey.identities.update_identity(identity="user_123", meta={ "email": "alice@example.com", "name": "Alice Smith", "plan": "premium", }, ratelimits=[ { "name": "requests", "limit": 1000, "duration": 3600000, "auto_apply": True, }, ]) # Handle response print(res) - lang: typescript label: Typescript (SDK) source: |- import { Unkey } from "@unkey/api"; const unkey = new Unkey({ rootKey: process.env["UNKEY_ROOT_KEY"] ?? "", }); async function run() { const result = await unkey.identities.updateIdentity({ identity: "user_123", meta: { "email": "alice@example.com", "name": "Alice Smith", "plan": "premium", }, }); console.log(result); } run(); components: schemas: V2IdentitiesUpdateIdentityRequestBody: type: object properties: identity: type: string minLength: 1 description: >- The ID of the identity to update. Accepts either the externalId (your system-generated identifier) or the identityId (internal identifier returned by the identity service). example: user_123 meta: type: object additionalProperties: true maxProperties: 100 description: > Replaces all existing metadata with this new metadata object. Omitting this field preserves existing metadata, while providing an empty object clears all metadata. Avoid storing sensitive data here as it's returned in verification responses. Large metadata objects increase verification latency and should stay under 10KB total size. example: name: Alice Smith email: alice@example.com plan: premium ratelimits: type: array maxItems: 50 items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/RatelimitRequest' description: > Replaces all existing identity rate limits with this complete list of rate limits. Omitting this field preserves existing rate limits, while providing an empty array removes all rate limits. These limits are shared across all keys belonging to this identity, preventing abuse through multiple keys. Rate limit changes take effect immediately but may take up to 30 seconds to propagate across all regions. example: - name: requests limit: 1000 duration: 3600000 autoApply: true additionalProperties: false required: - identity V2IdentitiesUpdateIdentityResponseBody: type: object required: - data - meta properties: data: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Identity' meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' BadRequestErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BadRequestErrorDetails' description: >- Error response for invalid requests that cannot be processed due to client-side errors. This typically occurs when request parameters are missing, malformed, or fail validation rules. The response includes detailed information about the specific errors in the request, including the location of each error and suggestions for fixing it. When receiving this error, check the 'errors' array in the response for specific validation issues that need to be addressed before retrying. UnauthorizedErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when authentication has failed or credentials are missing. This occurs when: - No authentication token is provided in the request - The provided token is invalid, expired, or malformed - The token format doesn't match expected patterns To resolve this error, ensure you're including a valid root key in the Authorization header. ForbiddenErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when the provided credentials are valid but lack sufficient permissions for the requested operation. This occurs when: - The root key doesn't have the required permissions for this endpoint - The operation requires elevated privileges that the current key lacks - Access to the requested resource is restricted based on workspace settings To resolve this error, ensure your root key has the necessary permissions or contact your workspace administrator. NotFoundErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when the requested resource cannot be found. This occurs when: - The specified resource ID doesn't exist in your workspace - The resource has been deleted or moved - The resource exists but is not accessible with current permissions To resolve this error, verify the resource ID is correct and that you have access to it. TooManyRequestsErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when the client has sent too many requests in a given time period. This occurs when you've exceeded a rate limit or quota for the resource you're accessing. The rate limit resets automatically after the time window expires. To avoid this error: - Implement exponential backoff when retrying requests - Cache results where appropriate to reduce request frequency - Check the error detail message for specific quota information - Contact support if you need a higher quota for your use case InternalServerErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when an unexpected error occurs on the server. This indicates a problem with Unkey's systems rather than your request. When you encounter this error: - The request ID in the response can help Unkey support investigate the issue - The error is likely temporary and retrying may succeed - If the error persists, contact Unkey support with the request ID RatelimitRequest: type: object required: - name - limit - duration - autoApply properties: name: description: >- The name of this rate limit. This name is used to identify which limit to check during key verification. Best practices for limit names: - Use descriptive, semantic names like 'api_requests', 'heavy_operations', or 'downloads' - Be consistent with naming conventions across your application - Create separate limits for different resource types or operation costs - Consider using namespaced names for better organization (e.g., 'files.downloads', 'compute.training') You will reference this exact name when verifying keys to check against this specific limit. type: string example: api minLength: 3 maxLength: 128 limit: description: >- The maximum number of operations allowed within the specified time window. When this limit is reached, verification requests will fail with `code=RATE_LIMITED` until the window resets. The limit should reflect: - Your infrastructure capacity and scaling limitations - Fair usage expectations for your service - Different tier levels for various user types - The relative cost of the operations being limited Higher values allow more frequent access but may impact service performance. type: integer format: int64 minimum: 1 duration: description: >- The duration for each ratelimit window in milliseconds. This controls how long the rate limit counter accumulates before resetting. Common values include: - 1000 (1 second): For strict per-second limits on high-frequency operations - 60000 (1 minute): For moderate API usage control - 3600000 (1 hour): For less frequent but costly operations - 86400000 (24 hours): For daily quotas Shorter windows provide more frequent resets but may allow large burst usage. Longer windows provide more consistent usage patterns but take longer to reset after limit exhaustion. type: integer format: int64 minimum: 1000 autoApply: description: >- Whether this ratelimit should be automatically applied when verifying a key. type: boolean default: false Identity: type: object properties: id: type: string description: Identity ID externalId: type: string description: External identity ID meta: type: object additionalProperties: true description: Identity metadata x-go-type-skip-optional-pointer: true x-go-type-skip-optional-pointer-with-omitzero: true ratelimits: type: array description: Identity ratelimits items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/RatelimitResponse' x-go-type-skip-optional-pointer: true x-go-type-skip-optional-pointer-with-omitzero: true required: - externalId - id Meta: type: object required: - requestId properties: requestId: description: >- A unique id for this request. Always include this ID when contacting support about a specific API request. This identifier allows Unkey's support team to trace the exact request through logs and diagnostic systems to provide faster assistance. example: req_123 type: string additionalProperties: false description: >- Metadata object included in every API response. This provides context about the request and is essential for debugging, audit trails, and support inquiries. The `requestId` is particularly important when troubleshooting issues with the Unkey support team. BadRequestErrorDetails: allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' - type: object properties: errors: description: >- List of individual validation errors that occurred in the request. Each error provides specific details about what failed validation, where the error occurred in the request, and suggestions for fixing it. This granular information helps developers quickly identify and resolve multiple issues in a single request without having to make repeated API calls. items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ValidationError' type: array required: - errors description: >- Extended error details specifically for bad request (400) errors. This builds on the BaseError structure by adding an array of individual validation errors, making it easy to identify and fix multiple issues at once. BaseError: properties: detail: description: >- A human-readable explanation specific to this occurrence of the problem. This provides detailed information about what went wrong and potential remediation steps. The message is intended to be helpful for developers troubleshooting the issue. example: Property foo is required but is missing. type: string status: description: >- HTTP status code that corresponds to this error. This will match the status code in the HTTP response. Common codes include `400` (Bad Request), `401` (Unauthorized), `403` (Forbidden), `404` (Not Found), `409` (Conflict), and `500` (Internal Server Error). example: 404 format: int type: integer title: description: >- A short, human-readable summary of the problem type. This remains constant from occurrence to occurrence of the same problem and should be used for programmatic handling. example: Not Found type: string type: description: >- A URI reference that identifies the problem type. This provides a stable identifier for the error that can be used for documentation lookups and programmatic error handling. When followed, this URI should provide human-readable documentation for the problem type. example: https://unkey.com/docs/errors/unkey/resource/not_found type: string required: - title - detail - status - type type: object additionalProperties: false description: >- Base error structure following Problem Details for HTTP APIs (RFC 7807). This provides a standardized way to carry machine-readable details of errors in HTTP response content. RatelimitResponse: type: object properties: id: type: string minLength: 8 maxLength: 255 pattern: ^rl_[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$ description: Unique identifier for this rate limit configuration. example: rl_1234567890abcdef name: type: string minLength: 1 maxLength: 128 description: Human-readable name for this rate limit. example: api_requests limit: type: integer format: int64 minimum: 1 maximum: 1000000 description: Maximum requests allowed within the time window. example: 1000 duration: type: integer format: int64 minimum: 1000 maximum: 2592000000 description: Rate limit window duration in milliseconds. example: 3600000 autoApply: type: boolean description: >- Whether this rate limit was automatically applied when verifying the key. example: true required: - id - name - limit - duration - autoApply additionalProperties: false ValidationError: additionalProperties: false properties: location: description: >- JSON path indicating exactly where in the request the error occurred. This helps pinpoint the problematic field or parameter. Examples include: - 'body.name' (field in request body) - 'body.items[3].tags' (nested array element) - 'path.apiId' (path parameter) - 'query.limit' (query parameter) Use this location to identify exactly which part of your request needs correction. type: string example: body.permissions[0].name message: description: >- Detailed error message explaining what validation rule was violated. This provides specific information about why the field or parameter was rejected, such as format errors, invalid values, or constraint violations. type: string example: Must be at least 3 characters long fix: description: >- A human-readable suggestion describing how to fix the error. This provides practical guidance on what changes would satisfy the validation requirements. Not all validation errors include fix suggestions, but when present, they offer specific remediation advice. type: string example: >- Ensure the name uses only alphanumeric characters, underscores, and hyphens required: - location - message type: object description: >- Individual validation error details. Each validation error provides precise information about what failed, where it failed, and how to fix it, enabling efficient error resolution. securitySchemes: rootKey: bearerFormat: root key description: >- Unkey uses API keys (root keys) for authentication. These keys authorize access to management operations in the API. To authenticate, include your root key in the Authorization header of each request: ``` Authorization: Bearer unkey_123 ``` Root keys have specific permissions attached to them, controlling what operations they can perform. Key permissions follow a hierarchical structure with patterns like `resource.resource_id.action` (e.g., `apis.*.create_key`, `apis.*.read_api`). Security best practices: - Keep root keys secure and never expose them in client-side code - Use different root keys for different environments - Rotate keys periodically, especially after team member departures - Create keys with minimal necessary permissions following least privilege principle - Monitor key usage with audit logs. scheme: bearer type: http ````