API keys and ingestion control

Create an API/ingest key (step by step)

Go to Settings → API Keys → Create key.
Name it for its use (e.g. prod-apm-ingest) so it's auditable.
Copy the key once and store it as a secret in your deployment; it authorizes agents/telemetry and API calls.
Rotate a key if it's ever exposed; revoke unused keys.

Ingestion filters — control volume and cost

Settings → Ingestion Filters let you drop or keep telemetry at the door, before it's stored, by type and matching rules — so you don't pay to store noise.

Filter by signal type (traces, logs, metrics, RUM events) and conditions.
Use keep rules for must-have data and drop rules for known noise (health-check spam, debug logs).
Filters apply per organization and update live.

Sample chatty high-volume services and always keep errors — see the APM instrumentation guide for service-side sampling too.