I need to point out something important: If you're using a local Prefect server (self-hosted), you actually don't need and shouldn't use the PREFECT_API_KEY environment variable. This environment variable is specifically for authenticating with Prefect Cloud. For a local Prefect server, here's what you should know: 1. By default, a local Prefect server doesn't require authentication 2. If you want to add basic authentication to your local server, you can do so by configuring the

server.api.auth_string

setting 3. The only environment variable you typically need to set for a local server is

PREFECT_API_URL

(usually set to something like `http://localhost:4200/api`) If you're seeing something that's asking for a PREFECT_API_KEY with your local server, that might indicate that: - Your environment might still be configured to connect to Prefect Cloud instead of your local server - Or there might be a misconfiguration somewhere in your setup Would you like me to: 1. Explain how to properly configure your environment for a local server? 2. Or if you actually meant to use Prefect Cloud instead, I can explain how to get an API key for that? Please let me know which direction would be most helpful!

Since you're setting up an ECS worker, you'll need to get an API key from Prefect Cloud. Here's how to get one: 1. Log in to your Prefect Cloud account at https://app.prefect.cloud 2. Click on your account icon in the bottom-left corner 3. Navigate to "API Keys" 4. Click the "+" button to create a new API key 5. Provide: - A name for your key (e.g., "ecs-worker-key") - An expiration date (optional) 6. Click "Create" 7. IMPORTANT: Copy the API key immediately when it's shown. You won't be able to see it again after leaving this screen. Once you have the API key, you can use it in your ECS worker configuration JSON file. The API key will look like a long string starting with

pnu_

. A few important notes: - Keep this API key secure and never commit it to version control - If you lose the key, you can always create a new one and update your configuration - For production environments, it's recommended to use a service account if you're on a paid plan - The API key should be treated as a sensitive secret and stored appropriately in your AWS environment (e.g., using AWS Secrets Manager or Parameter Store) Would you like me to provide more information about securely storing this API key in AWS, or do you need help with any other aspect of the ECS worker setup?

there is no concept of

PREFECT_API_KEY

in the open source, the guide could likely be updated to clarify that its only needed for cloud

ill add a note to that guide to clarify