# Key Pair Authentication Support for Snowflake Destination

RudderStack now supports Snowflake's [key pair authentication](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/key-pair-auth) mechanism while setting up your [Snowflake destination](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/destinations/warehouse-destinations/snowflake/#connection-settings). 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. Toggle on the **Use Key Pair Authentication** setting in the [RudderStack dashboard](https://app.rudderstack.com/).
3. Specify the entire contents of the private key, including the delimiters (`BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY` and `END RSA PRIVATE KEY`).
4. If the private key is encrypted, specify the passphrase used for encryption. Otherwise, leave it blank.

{{< image src="images/releases/snowflake-key-pair.webp" >}}

See the [Snowflake destination documentation](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/destinations/warehouse-destinations/snowflake/#connection-settings) for more information on this feature.