# Key Pair Authentication Support for Snowflake Reverse ETL Source

RudderStack now supports Snowflake's [key pair authentication](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/key-pair-auth) mechanism while setting up your [Snowflake Reverse ETL source](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/sources/reverse-etl/snowflake/#configuring-the-connection-credentials). You can now configure a key pair in Snowflake and use the private key for user authentication.

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Snowflake's key pair authentication mechanism leverages a 2048-bit RSA key pair and offers better security over basic authentication (username + password).
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To use this feature:

1. [Set up a key pair](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/key-pair-auth#configuring-key-pair-authentication) in Snowflake.
2. Set the **Authentication Type** to **Key Pair Authentication**.
3. Specify the **Private Key** generated above, including the delimiters (`BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY` and `END RSA PRIVATE KEY`).
4. If the private key is encrypted, specify the **Private Key Passphrase** used for encryption. Otherwise, leave it blank.

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See the [Snowflake source documentation](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/sources/reverse-etl/snowflake/#configuring-the-connection-credentials) for more information.