API Key Prefix Migration: abc → blq

API Key Prefix Migration: `abc_` → `blq_`

This document describes the rename of the API key prefix from abc_ to blq_ and explains what action (if any) is required for existing key holders.

Summary

	Before	After
New key prefix	`abc_`	`blq_`
Legacy prefix accepted?	—	✅ Yes (`abc_` keys still work)
Action required for existing keys	—	None — existing keys continue to work

Background

The original abc_ prefix was a placeholder chosen during early development. blq_ is the permanent, product-aligned prefix for bloqr-backend API keys.

What Changed

Runtime behaviour

New keys generated after this change start with blq_.
Existing keys that start with abc_ are still accepted for authentication. No expiry or invalidation has been applied.

Code changes

File	Change
`worker/middleware/api-key-utils.ts`	Added `API_KEY_PREFIX = 'blq_'`, `LEGACY_API_KEY_PREFIXES = ['abc_']`, and `isApiKey()` helper
`worker/handlers/api-keys.ts`	Imports `API_KEY_PREFIX` from `api-key-utils.ts`; generates keys with `blq_` prefix
`worker/middleware/auth.ts`	`isApiKeyToken()` delegates to `isApiKey()`, accepting both `blq_` and `abc_` prefixes
`src/configuration/schemas.ts`	CLI `--api-key` regex updated to accept `blq_` or `abc_` prefix (`/^(blq_

Token disambiguation

The authentication middleware uses the following logic:

// Accepts blq_ (current) and abc_ (legacy)
function isApiKeyToken(token: string): boolean {
    return isApiKey(token);
}

isApiKey returns true for any token that starts with blq_ or any prefix listed in LEGACY_API_KEY_PREFIXES.

Migration Guide for API Key Holders

Do I need to do anything?

No action is required. If you already have an abc_-prefixed key it will continue to work without any changes to your code or configuration.

Should I rotate to a new `blq_`-prefixed key?

Rotating is recommended but not required. New keys provide the clearest signal that you are on the current platform version. To rotate:

Sign in to the web UI.
Navigate to Settings → API Keys.
Click “Create API Key” and copy the new blq_-prefixed key.
Update your environment variable / secrets manager with the new key.
Revoke the old abc_-prefixed key once traffic has fully migrated.

CLI users

Update the example value in environment variable exports:

# Old
export ADBLOCK_API_KEY="abc_Xk9mP2nLqR5tV8wZ..."

# New
export ADBLOCK_API_KEY="blq_Xk9mP2nLqR5tV8wZ..."

The Zod validation regex is now /^(blq_|abc_).+$/, so both formats are accepted by the CLI as well.

Legacy Prefix Removal Timeline

Legacy abc_ support will remain indefinitely until a formal deprecation notice is issued. Any future removal will be preceded by:

A deprecation announcement in CHANGELOG.md.
A warning in the authentication response headers for abc_-prefixed keys.
A minimum 90-day migration window before removal.