How do I setup Snowflake key-pair authentication?
Last updated: May 12, 2026
Assign Keys in Snowflake
Follow these instructions to generate an unencrypted RSA private key and associated public key.
Assign the public key to a Snowflake user that Pylon will authenticate as. We recommend creating a new role with access to just the database you wish to use with Pylon, and finally granting that role to the authenticating user.
Pylon Setup
Install the Snowflake App from the Apps Directory.
This will require your snowflake Account Identifier which can be found using these instructions. It should be in the form <organization_name>-<account_name>
You will also need the Snowflake login name of the user you associated the public key with as well as the generated private key. The login name may differ from the user name/display name. Find this in the Users & Roles page under Admin in you Snowflake account.
Ensure you provide Pylon with the full private key including the header/footer. It should look like:
-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
<Key Contents>
-----END PRIVATE KEY-----Once the connection is tested and validated then you can create a Warehouse Sync.
For warehouse import and export details, see How does the Snowflake Integration work?.
Switching from password to key-pair
If you previously used password authentication to set up your warehouse sync you will need to disconnect the Snowflake app from the App Directory. Upon reconnecting the app it will ask you for the user, account ID, and private key.
The existing sync should be unaffected.