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

# Create a Service Account

> Create a service account within your org and generate API keys for programmatic access to Control Plane resources.

## Overview

Follow the steps below to create a [service account](/reference/serviceaccount) within your [org](/reference/org).

## Prerequisites

* Review the [service account](/reference/serviceaccount) reference page
* [Permissions](/reference/policy#permissions) to create a [service account](/reference/serviceaccount)
* Optional:
  * Install the [CLI](/cli-reference/installation)

## Create using the UI Console

1. Create a new service account by either:
   * Clicking `Service Accounts` in the left menu and click `New`, or
   * Click the `Create` dropdown in the upper right corner and select `Service Account`
2. Enter a unique name and optional description and click `Next (Tags)`
3. Enter any optional [tags](/core/misc#tags). Click `Create`.
4. Click the `Keys` link to generate a new token that is used to create a profile
5. Enter a key description and click `Add`. Copy and download the generated key

## Create using the CLI

Refer to the [serviceaccount create](/cli-reference/commands/serviceaccount#serviceaccount-create) and [serviceaccount add-key](/cli-reference/commands/serviceaccount#serviceaccount-add-key) command for details and examples on how to create a service account using the CLI.

## Next Steps

After creating a service account with a key, it can be used in a [policy](/reference/policy) to grant permissions to any Control Plane resource. Once permissions have been granted, a [browser-less CLI login](/guides/browser-less-cli-login) is performed to authenticate and allow the execution of CLI commands.