If you wish to connect to your MailChimp account, for example using a plugin or module from your CMS website, then an API key will be required.
An API key is a unique code which is passed between computer applications.
By creating an API key on the MailChimp website and adding this to a plugin on your website will enable communications with the correct Mailchimp account. And, importantly, the key helps to ensure the authentication of the connection, restricting its usage, and hopefully avoid others gaining access to your MailChimp account.
To manage your API keys click on your account at the top right of the Mailchimp page to show the short drop-down menu. From this menu select Account.
On the following page expand the Extras menu item and select API keys.
Or for simplicity, here’s the direct link:
https://admin.mailchimp.com/account/api
The page provides references for API documentation and managing your own apps. The task is much simpler – the creation of a key to facilitate the connection with a plugin on a CMS website.
Scroll down to see the Your API keys.
At the bottom of this section click on the button Create A Key. A new row is given in the list of keys. Assign a label so that in the future you’ll know where it is being used.
The key can be copied and pasted into the requisite textbox on your Mailchimp form plugin installed on your website.
More info to be found on MailChimp’s getting started with the API key info page.
