[flickr][error] API request failed: Invalid API Key (Key has expired)

[TheSk1ff]

I foolishly thought that Flickr's API was still free to use and went through the process of trying to obtain keys via OAuth only to find out that you have to pay for them now. Previously I had been able to downloads photos from an account with no issue.

Now, after I attempted the above, whenever I try to download ANYTHING it only gives:

[flickr][error] API request failed: Invalid API Key (Key has expired)

I've tried:

• Deleting my cache.sqlite3 file in %APPDATA%
• Modifying my cache.sqlite3 file in an SQLITE editor
• Downloading gallery-dl again and deleting the old one

but nothing seems to work.

I'm not well versed on how this program is built so perhaps the cache.sqlite3 file has quite literally nothing to do with the underlying issue. All I know is that I don't know how to fix this error and any help is massively appreciated.

[mikf]

edit: The current default API key got disabled by Flickr and creating a new one is only possible for PRO users.

---

Default API credentials are hard-coded into the flickr module source

gallery-dl/gallery_dl/extractor/flickr.py

Lines 239 to 240 in b9f077a

	API_KEY = "90c368449018a0cb880ea4889cbb8681"
	API_SECRET = "e4b83e319c11e9e1"

and they have been disabled yet again. Probably due to overuse.

Number of authenticated users: 443
Total calls in the last hour: 0
Total calls in the last 24 hours: 12930551

You could theoretically use custom credentials, but

In order to mitigate abuse, API key creation is currently disabled for free accounts. API key creation is available to all Flickr PRO subscribers.

[TheSk1ff]

Default API credentials are hard-coded into the flickr module source

gallery-dl/gallery_dl/extractor/flickr.py

Lines 239 to 240 in b9f077a

API_KEY = "90c368449018a0cb880ea4889cbb8681"
API_SECRET = "e4b83e319c11e9e1"

and they have been disabled yet again. Probably due to overuse.

Number of authenticated users: 443
Total calls in the last hour: 0
Total calls in the last 24 hours: 12930551

You could theoretically use custom credentials, but

In order to mitigate abuse, API key creation is currently disabled for free accounts. API key creation is available to all Flickr PRO subscribers.

I think I get what you're saying... Flickr sometimes decides to just disable the API to the entire public (minus Flickr PRO subscribers) whenever it's been overused? Correct?

[mikf]

To summarize: The current API key got disabled by Flickr and creating a new one is only possible for PRO users.

[TheSk1ff]

To simplify: The current API key got disabled by Flickr and creating a new one is only possible for PRO users.

How long does it take to obtain a new key?

[mikf]

1-2 minutes if your account is allowed to create a new one.
Otherwise it will take however long Flickr blocks free accounts from creating new keys.

[TheSk1ff]

1-2 minutes if your account is allowed to create a new one. Otherwise it will take however long Flickr blocks free accounts from creating new keys.

I'm still a bit confused. Even when I don't provide login credentials I still receive the error. So how do they know it's my account that's requesting the downloads?

[mikf]

The tokens you get from gallery-dl oauth:flickr are not API keys. They only link your personal account to the now disabled general API keys used by gallery-dl. At this point in time, no one can download from Flickr with gallery-dl, unless they use custom api-key and api-secret values - again, not access-token and access-token-secret from gallery-dl oauth:flickr - which appears to only be possible with a Flickr Pro account.

[TheSk1ff]

The tokens you get from gallery-dl oauth:flickr are not API keys. They only link your personal account to the now disabled general API keys used by gallery-dl. At this point in time, no one can download from Flickr with gallery-dl, unless they use custom api-key and api-secret values - again, not access-token and access-token-secret from gallery-dl oauth:flickr - which appears to only be possible with a Flickr Pro account.

Gotcha. This is what I thought you were implying at first, but then I got myself confused. Thank you for the help.