API Keys
Posted by: Matt on: October 17, 2005
Savvy users of WordPress.com will notice something new on your profile page.
What’s it for? Time will tell. Let’s just say WordPress.com is going to become a lot more useful for people who already have WordPress blogs.
Cheers to Donncha for rolling this out, as I’m still mostly incapacitated right now.Â
82 Responses to "API Keys"
2 | ch0de
October 17th, 2005 at 11:57 am
I’m thinking that It might have to do with exporting like the guy said above. Their is a plugin probaly in development that will roll out soon, and will let you enter your WP.com API key If you want to export your posts to a new blog.
3 | Sketch
October 17th, 2005 at 12:34 pm
It does make you wonder but somehow I doubt that exporting to a WordPress.com blog is the answer. For one, that encourages migration away from standaloe WordPress installs which makes no business sense. Or mirroring a WordPress blog on WordPress.com, an idea that lacks real common sense (why have two identical sites to drain away traffic and stats, and maybe ad revenue away from one main blog).
I’m real interested, though, to see what the API does…
5 | kapeka
October 17th, 2005 at 12:42 pm
Maybe something like a ping so that in my wp.com sidebar blog it will be shown when theres a new entry on my regular wordpress blog? Or otherwise?
6 | ch0de
October 17th, 2005 at 12:43 pm
Hmm. I remember it Matt. Matt, is it for RSS (Display it on your other blogs, etc..)? Am I alittle warm? 
8 | kapeka
October 17th, 2005 at 12:51 pm
@jtintle: i don’t thing so. Matt has written that it is something for people with other own wordpress blogs
9 | jtintle
Yeah true… so lets think, What do I want to do with my wordpress blog that would include my WP.com blog, him if its not exporting the WP.com to a WordPress blog, then it shouldn’t be an RSS feed, maybe a special admin function that will allow you to control both blogs via one admin panel
10 | David W. Boles
I hope it’s a first step in paid hosting at WordPress.com where the “power users” with standalone blogs can easily import databases here for hosting with unique domain resolution. We’d need CNAME access and other cogent control but perhaps the API is a magic dust you sprinkle over your current WordPress setup so you don’t lose anything in a move being hosted here? It makes more economic sense to have all the WordPressers under one umbrella for support and consistency and upgrades and fixes can be done invisibly and server side so WordPress as an economic entity becomes immediately stable and secure without unpatched installs hiding on servers across the world sullying the name and the WordPress brand.
11 | Aaron Brazell
My feeling is, since Doncha is the guy who is the brainpower behind it, that it has to do with MU blogging. Maybe by providing your API key to other bloggers, your WordPress blog can become a multi-author style blog without being multi-author… Like WordPress Planet is…
12 | Dante
I think it allows you to access your posts and other data with specific function calls. I’m really hoping it uses REST; I hate XML-RPC.
13 | Jon Abad
Maybe its a trusted identity system…
I go to WordPress.com and get an api key then plug it into WordPress on my site… Then people can be registered in WordPress.com or -any other- WordPress blog and sign in to my blog as a trusted user!
Take that blogger/typepad/livejournal ids!
am i getting warm?
14 | Mark Jaquith
My guess is that it’ll let you do stuff like pull post data from your WordPress.com blog onto your WordPress blog. I actually already have my WordPress.com posts displayed in my sidebar, thanks to MagpieRSS, but a direct API will let you get more data than the feed can give you. Heck, you could even do stuff like have a consolidated search for both your blogs.
19 | kapeka
Maybe it’s something like drupal. I am logged in in drupal.com and because of that I am automatically logged in other drupal systems, where it is allowed by the admin
20 | binarymoon » wordpress.com API key?
[...] On the profile pages on wordpress.com there is now an ‘API key’, apparently this is good for people who have standalone wordpress blogs (um… me!) [...]
22 | Digital Home » Blog Archive » One question to rule them all
[...] The newest mistery in WP.com’s world is: how did Anakin become Darth Vader? Oops…no, it’s not this one. Alright, this is the mistery: what’s the purpose of this WordPress.com API key??? [...]
23 | OMEITOR
October 18th, 2005 at 10:17 am
Maybe it’s a way to conquer the world?
now seriously, I think it’s a way to pull data from wp.com powered blogs, like registered users and comment authors for easier comment spam control, or maybe it’s a way to merge your wp.com blog with your hosted wp blog, so that you can post and change settings to both blogs using the same admin screen, but all those ideas have already been mentioned, and Matt just won’t tell us….
24 | Lorelle on WordPress » A New Mystery in the Wordpress.com Community
[...] Matt has announced an API key that has suddenly appeared in the wordpress.com Administration Panels’ Profile page. It’s just under your name. [...]
25 | Female Geek » Wordpress.com API keys
[...] There’s a guessing game going on over at Matt’s WordPress.com blog. There is a new API key for each WordPress.com blog, but the mystery of their purpose is yet to be revealed… [...]
27 | jtintle
Well too bad it doesn’t have anything to do with the AJAX IM program that was mentioned not to long ago
28 | Diwaker
There are already plugins for aggregating RSS feeds etc into WP, so I doubt this API key is for that. The mere fact that it is, infact, an API key should tell us that its more about taking the data of your WP.com blog out rather than bringing data in.
So I’m guessing it might let you write a post on your self-hosted WP blog, and have it appear on your WP.com blog automatically using the API key. Or something along those lines.
29 | .derek
I vaguely recall a post somewhere on the net concerning an option to post to multiple blogs from within one single Dashboard. Maybe this API key has somehting to do with that? Managing multiple WordPress blogs from a single source? That’s my educated guess. Actually… I guess I can’t say educated since I don’t have a link to backup my claims.
30 | BrittaBlog » Blog Archive » The Mystery of the API Key
[...] Matt knows how to wind up the ratchet of excitement and speculation … He prods us all to goggle-eye the new API Key that has sprouted in our admin panels (under Profile) - but each time someone takes a stab at what it may be designed to do, he rubs his hands gleefully and chortles “cold!” How long will he be able to hold out, without popping from the pent-up anticipation? [...]
32 | Danny Foo
By any chance, is it a flexible tool for posting to your WP.com without the need of logging in through your browser?
Cheers.
33 | SubDesarrollando » WordPress.com se las trae
[...] Matt acaba de publicar acerca de la aparición del siguiente texto en la página del perfil de usuario de WordPress.com: [...]
34 | API keys on WP.com at Eric Setiawan
[...] What is the use of API keys on WordPresss.com? We just have to wait for Matt to announce it but he said “I think you guys are going to like this one.” I hope so. // Used for showing and hiding user information in the comment form function ShowUtils() { document.getElementById(”authorinfo”).style.display = “”; document.getElementById(”showinfo”).style.display = “none”; document.getElementById(”hideinfo”).style.display = “”; } function HideUtils() { document.getElementById(”authorinfo”).style.display = “none”; document.getElementById(”showinfo”).style.display = “”; document.getElementById(”hideinfo”).style.display = “none”; } [...]
35 | semantic
October 19th, 2005 at 12:15 am
I acttually know one use of itt, butt I’m sworn to secrecy.
36 | Andy
Hey, there are some great ideas here. Food for thought. Frozen food, but food nonetheless. 
38 | jamboo
Maybe for flex2, because in the presentation of flex2 they called pictures from flickR with an API key into their ‘application’ .
39 | jamboo
oops, I’m sorry for the double post but here is the tutorial for the flex2 application. what they do in the tutorial is the same as they did in the presentation.
url: http://labs.macromedia.com/technologies/flexbuilder2/tutorials/
41 | Nick
API?
Mabye apple, cherry, or pumpkin? Thanksgiving is right around the corner so my vote is for pumpkin.
…I Just couldn’t resist!
42 | Andrew
I suspect that it’s a way of allowing some customization of wp.com blogs while steering clear of the security risks that allowing full access to themes and plugins poses for wpmu.
43 | .derkilicious » Blog Archive » links for 2005-10-19
October 19th, 2005 at 11:07 am
[...] Matt on WordPress » Blog Archive » API Keys What’s the new API key doing in the WordPress.com Dashboard? What’s Matt up to? (tags: wordpress api @comments) [...]
44 | Daniel
Perhaps the API might be usefull for the new upcoming Browser Flock? Link: http://www.flock.com
45 | Dante
WordPress Firefox extension?
Backup for your other non-wordpress.com WordPress blog?
Something to do with bbPress?
Still cold?
47 | Dante
It’s a human brain API key. You think, the thought shows up on your blog.
Can you give us a hint?
48 | .derek
Wait! Matt do you even have a real plan for the API?! Or are you using this post to come up with decent ideas to implement into WordPress.com? j.k.
49 | Blogging Pro China » WordPress.comå?¯èƒ½ä¼šæ??ä¾›API接å?£
[...] 　　Mattæ—©å‡ å¤©æ”¾å‡ºäº†è¿™ä¸ªæ¶ˆæ?¯ï¼Œä½†è¿™ä¸ªä¸œè¥¿çš„实际作用实在很难说，有兴趣å?¯ä»¥çœ‹ä¸€ä¸‹ç•™è¨€ã€‚ by Scott | posted in WordPress News Trackback URL | Comment RSS Feed Tag at del.icio.us | Incoming links [...]
50 | Britta
Any connection whatsoever with Ryan’s recent comment:
“What a concept, using our own API.”
http://ryan.wordpress.com/2005/09/20/cleaner-role-creation-code/
??
51 | Alistair
Britta,
Ryan is referring to using code they have already written to do Task A, to do Task A somewhere else in the system.
Al.
52 | mentor
since i guess that you guys are up to something fresh, it wont has anything to do with import/export, crossposting, aggregation of service xyz and probably has nothing to do with themes.
my guesses:
1.) everybody at wordpress may use the key to order a free top level domain which will route to his account
2.) you made some collabo with a software company and wp.com users may use that “api-key” as a license-key
3.) something that has to do with flock
4.) sharing stuff between blogs, improved community features between local on remote wp sites… new chat tool.. something like that.. post repository..
bleh! tell us!
53 | 1stpixel
does it have to do with this blueish div in the top area on YOUR blog, that points to my blog, which does make sense to me ;-.)
54 | kapeka
October 20th, 2005 at 10:45 am
@1stpixel: Do you mean the admin bar? This was implemented some weeks ago so it has nothing to do with the api key.
56 | dansilcox
API for plugin development so a plugin can query the blog with x API key?
I can’t really see why you’d need the key, but maybe because it’s M-U you do… I dunno! Just a guess, like everyone elses’!
57 | Dougal
Hmm…. How about some sort of search API that lets you find posts from all across the wordpress.com universe by keyword or category and add “relevant links” to your existing blog posts?
It would also be interesting if the API gave you access to your wordpress.com media uploads.
58 | James
I have no wp.com blog, nor do I need or want one, as I have a normal host, so I’ve got no idea what this strange new feature is. I’ll give it a guess, though!
Umm…
A… new… page… to… manage…
…badgers? No, no. Maybe some sort of thing to forther integrate with flock?
64 | Apple Sauce » Blog Archive » The mistery of the Wordpress.com API key…
[...] You WordPress.com bloggers surely have seen the API key in your admin pages. But what is it for? The comments at Matt’s post all were replied by Matt, “Cold.”. [...]
65 | chino
October 24th, 2005 at 10:25 am
API key generates your user name for a new bbpress forum account that identifies you as a member of wordpress.com in the new “comunity” forums…
and/or allows you to use the new bbpress hosting solution (from the folks who brought you WordPress.com!!!) in conjunction with your wp.com account…
maybe…?
66 | Dante
October 24th, 2005 at 10:30 am
It finally allows you to mix whole and 2% milk without having to worry about it blowing up?
(Ok, I give up, but if you got that joke, good for you! :D)
68 | W. Andrew Loe III
I’d be willing to bet it works similarly to the API for Backpack, for those who don’t know about it read up on backpackit.com.
Also, there is a typo on the “Leave a Comment” section, it should be E-mail (required), you forgot the opening parenthesis.
71 | Joe Brooks
October 25th, 2005 at 11:14 am
Matt, okay I won’t share my API #, however being a capitalist would selling my API # be profitable?
72 | Denken Ãœber » Akismet: filtro antispam para blogs
October 25th, 2005 at 11:43 am
[...] Para usarlo debés tener un número de la API de WordPress que conseguÃs en wordpress.com del cual ya casi todos tienen una cuenta y esto es lo que hace interesante tener una cuenta ahÃ. [...]
74 | Apple Sauce » Blog Archive » The mistery revealed; Wordpress.com misbehaving
[...] The mystery of the API key has been revealed. Behold the Akismet. Unfortunately, it seems to be much like Spam Karma 2.0. So, nothing new here. [...]
75 | Footsteps in the Mirror » Wordpress Mystery Solved With The Will Of God
October 25th, 2005 at 11:26 pm
[...] Some time ago, those of us who were using WordPress.com noticed this strange API key in our Admin. Sure enough Matt just happened to baffle a lot of us into wondering what in the name of God was the API key there for. Well…now we have the answer. [...]
76 | kapeka » Akismet and the secret of the API-Keys
October 26th, 2005 at 12:03 am
[...] Now we all were wondering whats this new API-Keys are for, Matt and others were speaking about. What does it have to do with Spam? Well, pretty much, at least for the Moment. With this Api key on your profile Page your are allowed to use akismet on your own hosted WordPress blog without paying for it. So let’s see if it’s works as good as on wordpress.com. [...]
77 | Akismet and Just Saying Hi Spam at David W. Boles’ Urban Semiotic
[...] Akismet is already installed on WordPress.com blogs but the “Personal API key” on your WordPress.com Profile in the Administration Panel will allow you to use Akismet on your stand-alone WordPress blog via a Plugin for free as long as your blog does not earn you over $500 a year. [...]
78 | Halle’s Smooooth Words o’ Wisdom » cool comment spam plugin
October 28th, 2005 at 10:45 am
[...] In order to install the plugin you need an API key which can be had once you start a WordPress.com blog. [...]
79 | M.G. Halle’s other blog » re. M.G. Halle’s other blog
October 28th, 2005 at 10:53 am
[...] I started this blog in order to get an API key for my other blog. [...]
80 | å²? 月 æ— å£° » Blog Archive » WordPress.comå?¯èƒ½ä¼šæ??ä¾›API接å?£
[...] 　　Mattæ—©å‡ å¤©æ”¾å‡ºäº†è¿™ä¸ªæ¶ˆæ?¯ï¼Œä½†è¿™ä¸ªä¸œè¥¿çš„实际作用实在很难说，有兴趣å?¯ä»¥çœ‹ä¸€ä¸‹ç•™è¨€ã€‚ [...]
81 | Akismet, le nouvel outil anti-spam pour les blogs at Almaren
November 22nd, 2005 at 11:13 am
[...] Depuis quelque temps, les utilisateurs de WordPress.com avaient remarqué l’apparition d’une clé API sur une des pages d’option de leur compte. Matt nous avait même gentiment provoqué � ce sujet, et les spéculations sur le possible usage de ces clés ne se sont pas faites attendre. [...]
82 | hariharan
November 24th, 2005 at 5:48 pm
API’s might used to provide statistical information such as the number visitors to the partical blog , the wordpress.com users who visit your site often and a topic search within wordpress.com.Also it might be used to manage multiple wordpress.com accounts in a single interface using the key to post to different blogs.
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