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

# Generate Key

Generates a cryptographically secure 256-bit (32-byte) encryption key suitable for creating encrypted indexes.

```go theme={null}
func GenerateKey() ([]byte, error)
```

### Returns

| Type     | Description                                                      |
| -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `[]byte` | A 32-byte encryption key suitable for use with encrypted indexes |
| `error`  | Any error that occurred during key generation                    |

### Security

The generated key is cryptographically secure and suitable for production use:

* Uses Go's `crypto/rand` package for secure random number generation
* Provides 256 bits of entropy (32 bytes)
* Compatible with AES-256 encryption used by CyborgDB

<Warning>
  This key must be persisted securely. For more information, see [Managing Encryption Keys](../../guides/advanced/managing-keys).
</Warning>

### Example Usage

```go theme={null}
package main

import (
    "encoding/hex"
    "fmt"
    "log"
    
    "github.com/cyborginc/cyborgdb-go"
)

func main() {
    // Generate a new encryption key
    key, err := cyborgdb.GenerateKey()
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal("Failed to generate key:", err)
    }
    
    // Convert to hex string for storage/transmission
    keyHex := hex.EncodeToString(key)
    fmt.Printf("Generated key: %s\n", keyHex)
    fmt.Printf("Key length: %d bytes\n", len(key))
}
```