diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4d252d3bf0..88cc3f8af4 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -24,4 +24,5 @@ dist
 .secrets.json
 certs/
 deployment/data/*
+metald.db
 bin/
diff --git a/QUICKSTART-DEPLOY.md b/QUICKSTART-DEPLOY.md
index ad09a2e3bd..fa33201f1e 100644
--- a/QUICKSTART-DEPLOY.md
+++ b/QUICKSTART-DEPLOY.md
@@ -7,18 +7,56 @@ This guide will help you get the Unkey deployment platform up and running locall
 - Docker and Docker Compose
 - Go 1.24 or later
 - A terminal/command line
+- dnsmasq (for wildcard DNS setup)
 
 ## Step 1: Start the Platform
 
-1. Start all services using Docker Compose:
+1. Set up the API key for ctrl service authentication by adding it to `go/apps/ctrl/.env`:
 
 ```bash
-docker-compose up metald-aio dashboard ctrl -d
+UNKEY_API_KEY="your-local-dev-key"
 ```
 
-2. Wait for all services to be healthy
+2. Set up dashboard environment variables for ctrl authentication in `apps/dashboard/.env.local`:
 
-The platform now uses a Docker backend that creates containers instead of VMs, making it much faster and easier to run locally.
+```bash
+CTRL_URL="http://127.0.0.1:7091"
+CTRL_API_KEY="your-local-dev-key"
+```
+
+Note: Use the same API key value in both files for authentication to work properly.
+
+3. Start all necessary services using Docker Compose:
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f ./deployment/docker-compose.yaml up mysql planetscale clickhouse redis s3 dashboard gw metald ctrl -d --build
+```
+
+This will start:
+- **mysql**: Database for storing workspace, project, and deployment data
+- **planetscale**: PlanetScale HTTP simulator for database access
+- **clickhouse**: Analytics database for metrics and logs
+- **redis**: Caching layer for session and temporary data
+- **s3**: MinIO S3-compatible storage for assets and vault data
+- **dashboard**: Web UI for managing deployments (port 3000)
+- **gw**: Gateway service for routing traffic (ports 80/443)
+- **metald**: VM/container management service (port 8090)
+- **ctrl**: Control plane service for managing deployments (port 7091)
+
+4. Set up wildcard DNS for `unkey.local`:
+
+```bash
+./deployment/setup-wildcard-dns.sh
+```
+
+5. **OPTIONAL**: Install self-signed certificate for HTTPS (to avoid SSL errors):
+
+```bash
+# For macOS
+sudo security add-trusted-cert -d -r trustRoot -k /Library/Keychains/System.keychain ./deployment/certs/unkey.local.crt
+```
+
+Note: Certificates should be mounted to `deployment/certs`. You can skip this if you're fine with SSL errors in your browser.
 
 ## Step 2: Set Up Your Workspace
 
@@ -48,45 +86,61 @@ Go to http://localhost:3000/projects
 cd go
 ```
 
-2. Create a version using the CLI with your copied IDs:
+2. Set up API key authentication for the CLI (choose one option):
 
+**Option A: Environment variable (recommended)**
 ```bash
-go run . version create \
+export API_KEY="your-local-dev-key"
+```
+
+**Option B: CLI flag**
+Use `--api-key="your-local-dev-key"` in the command below.
+
+3. Deploy using the CLI with your copied IDs:
+
+```bash
+go run . deploy \
   --context=./demo_api \
-  --workspace-id=YOUR_WORKSPACE_ID \
-  --project-id=YOUR_PROJECT_ID
+  --workspace-id="REPLACE_ME" \
+  --project-id="REPLACE_ME" \
+  --control-plane-url="http://127.0.0.1:7091" \
+  --api-key="your-local-dev-key" \
+  --keyspace-id="REPLACE_ME" # This is optional if you want key verifications
 ```
 
-Keep the context as shown, there's a demo api in that folder.
-Replace `YOUR_WORKSPACE_ID` and `YOUR_PROJECT_ID` with the actual values you copied from the dashboard.
+Replace the placeholder values:
+- `REPLACE_ME` with your actual workspace ID, project ID, and keyspace ID
+- `your-local-dev-key` with the same API key value you set in steps 1 and 2
+- Keep `--context=./demo_api` as shown (there's a demo API in that folder)
+
+**Note**: If using Option A (environment variable), you can omit the `--api-key` flag from the command.
 
 3. The CLI will:
-   - Always build a fresh Docker image from your code
-   - Set the PORT environment variable to 8080 in the container
-   - Use the Docker backend to create a container instead of a VM
-   - Automatically allocate a random host port (e.g., 35432) to avoid conflicts
-   - Show real-time progress as your deployment goes through the stages
+   - Build a Docker image from the demo_api code
+   - Create a deployment on the Unkey platform
+   - Show real-time progress through deployment stages
+   - Deploy using metald's VM/container backend
 
-## Step 4: View Your Deployment
+## Step 4: Test Your Deployment
 
-1. Once the deployment completes, the CLI will show you the available domains:
+1. Once deployment completes, test the API in the unkey root directory:
 
+```bash
+curl --cacert ./deployment/certs/unkey.local.crt https://REPLACE_ME/v1/liveness
 ```
-Deployment Complete
-  Version ID: v_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-  Status: Ready
-  Environment: Production
 
-Domains
-  https://main-commit-workspace.unkey.app
-  http://localhost:35432
+Replace:
+- `REPLACE_ME` (URL) with your deployment domain
+
+**Note:** The liveness endpoint is public and doesn't require authentication. For protected endpoints, include an Authorization header:
+
+```bash
+curl --cacert ./deployment/certs/unkey.local.crt -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" https://YOUR_DOMAIN/protected/endpoint
 ```
 
-2. If you're using the `demo_api` you can curl the `/v1/liveness` endpoint
-3. Return to the dashboard and navigate to:
+2. Return to the dashboard to monitor your deployment:
 
 ```
-http://localhost:3000/versions
 http://localhost:3000/deployments
 ```
 
diff --git a/apps/dashboard/.env.example b/apps/dashboard/.env.example
index 7f0678b42b..9bb24bf917 100644
--- a/apps/dashboard/.env.example
+++ b/apps/dashboard/.env.example
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ DATABASE_PASSWORD=
 UNKEY_WORKSPACE_ID=
 UNKEY_API_ID=
 
+# Control Plane
+CTRL_URL=http://127.0.0.1:7091
+CTRL_API_KEY="your-local-dev-key"
+
 # ClickHouse
 CLICKHOUSE_URL=
 
diff --git a/apps/dashboard/lib/env.ts b/apps/dashboard/lib/env.ts
index d6f0681bbe..92e24f6eb0 100644
--- a/apps/dashboard/lib/env.ts
+++ b/apps/dashboard/lib/env.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ export const env = () =>
       AGENT_TOKEN: z.string(),
 
       CTRL_URL: z.string().url().optional(),
+      CTRL_API_KEY: z.string().optional(),
 
       GITHUB_KEYS_URI: z.string().optional(),
 
diff --git a/apps/dashboard/lib/trpc/routers/deploy/deployment/rollback.ts b/apps/dashboard/lib/trpc/routers/deploy/deployment/rollback.ts
index 855bc1d25e..98343aedf3 100644
--- a/apps/dashboard/lib/trpc/routers/deploy/deployment/rollback.ts
+++ b/apps/dashboard/lib/trpc/routers/deploy/deployment/rollback.ts
@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ export const rollback = t.procedure
       DeploymentService,
       createConnectTransport({
         baseUrl: ctrlUrl,
+        interceptors: [
+          (next) => (req) => {
+            req.header.set("Authorization", `Bearer ${env().CTRL_API_KEY}`);
+            return next(req);
+          },
+        ],
       }),
     );
 
diff --git a/deployment/docker-compose.yaml b/deployment/docker-compose.yaml
index d43d6b31d8..86a0eb2a95 100644
--- a/deployment/docker-compose.yaml
+++ b/deployment/docker-compose.yaml
@@ -344,6 +344,9 @@ services:
       UNKEY_VAULT_S3_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET: "minio_root_password"
       UNKEY_VAULT_MASTER_KEYS: "Ch9rZWtfMmdqMFBJdVhac1NSa0ZhNE5mOWlLSnBHenFPENTt7an5MRogENt9Si6wms4pQ2XIvqNSIgNpaBenJmXgcInhu6Nfv2U="
 
+      # API key for simple authentication (temporary, will be replaced with JWT)
+      UNKEY_API_KEY: "your-local-dev-key"
+
   otel:
     networks:
       - default
@@ -398,6 +401,7 @@ services:
       # Environment
       NODE_ENV: "production"
       CTRL_URL: "http://ctrl:7091"
+      CTRL_API_KEY: "your-local-dev-key"
       # Bootstrap workspace/API IDs
       # Reading from env file, no override necessary
 volumes:
diff --git a/go/apps/ctrl/.gitignore b/go/apps/ctrl/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e168d8665c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/apps/ctrl/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Environment variables with secrets
+.env
+.env.local
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/go/apps/ctrl/config.go b/go/apps/ctrl/config.go
index ab180bbb7d..e533c7a24e 100644
--- a/go/apps/ctrl/config.go
+++ b/go/apps/ctrl/config.go
@@ -64,6 +64,10 @@ type Config struct {
 	// AuthToken is the authentication token for control plane API access
 	AuthToken string
 
+	// APIKey is the API key for simple authentication (demo purposes only)
+	// TODO: Replace with JWT authentication when moving to private IP
+	APIKey string
+
 	// MetaldAddress is the full URL of the metald service for VM operations (e.g., "https://metald.example.com:8080")
 	MetaldAddress string
 
diff --git a/go/apps/ctrl/middleware/auth.go b/go/apps/ctrl/middleware/auth.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8dd444041e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/apps/ctrl/middleware/auth.go
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+package middleware
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	"connectrpc.com/connect"
+)
+
+// AuthConfig contains configuration for the authentication middleware
+type AuthConfig struct {
+	// APIKey is the expected API key for authentication
+	APIKey string
+}
+
+// AuthMiddleware provides simple API key authentication
+// TODO: Replace with JWT authentication when moving to private IP
+type AuthMiddleware struct {
+	config AuthConfig
+}
+
+// NewAuthMiddleware creates a new authentication middleware
+func NewAuthMiddleware(config AuthConfig) *AuthMiddleware {
+	return &AuthMiddleware{
+		config: config,
+	}
+}
+
+// ConnectInterceptor returns a Connect interceptor for gRPC-like services
+func (m *AuthMiddleware) ConnectInterceptor() connect.UnaryInterceptorFunc {
+	return func(next connect.UnaryFunc) connect.UnaryFunc {
+		return func(ctx context.Context, req connect.AnyRequest) (connect.AnyResponse, error) {
+			procedure := req.Spec().Procedure
+
+			// Skip authentication for health check endpoint
+			if procedure == "/ctrl.v1.CtrlService/Liveness" {
+				return next(ctx, req)
+			}
+
+			// Extract API key from Authorization header
+			// TODO: Replace with JWT token extraction when moving to private IP
+			authHeader := strings.TrimSpace(req.Header().Get("Authorization"))
+			if authHeader == "" {
+				return nil, connect.NewError(connect.CodeUnauthenticated,
+					fmt.Errorf("Missing Authorization header"))
+			}
+
+			// Parse authorization header with case-insensitive Bearer scheme
+			const bearerScheme = "bearer"
+			if len(authHeader) < len(bearerScheme)+1 {
+				return nil, connect.NewError(connect.CodeUnauthenticated,
+					fmt.Errorf("Invalid Authorization header format. Expected: Bearer <api_key>"))
+			}
+
+			// Extract scheme and check case-insensitively
+			schemePart := strings.ToLower(authHeader[:len(bearerScheme)])
+			if schemePart != bearerScheme {
+				return nil, connect.NewError(connect.CodeUnauthenticated,
+					fmt.Errorf("Invalid Authorization header format. Expected: Bearer <api_key>"))
+			}
+
+			// Ensure there's a space after the scheme
+			if authHeader[len(bearerScheme)] != ' ' {
+				return nil, connect.NewError(connect.CodeUnauthenticated,
+					fmt.Errorf("Invalid Authorization header format. Expected: Bearer <api_key>"))
+			}
+
+			// Extract and trim the token
+			apiKey := strings.TrimSpace(authHeader[len(bearerScheme)+1:])
+			if apiKey == "" {
+				return nil, connect.NewError(connect.CodeUnauthenticated,
+					fmt.Errorf("API key cannot be empty"))
+			}
+
+			// Simple API key validation against environment variable
+			// TODO: Replace with JWT validation when moving to private IP
+			if apiKey != m.config.APIKey {
+				return nil, connect.NewError(connect.CodeUnauthenticated,
+					fmt.Errorf("Invalid API key"))
+			}
+
+			// Continue to next handler
+			return next(ctx, req)
+		}
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/go/apps/ctrl/run.go b/go/apps/ctrl/run.go
index 15ab0bba48..0bf4bf08e3 100644
--- a/go/apps/ctrl/run.go
+++ b/go/apps/ctrl/run.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"connectrpc.com/connect"
+	"github.com/unkeyed/unkey/go/apps/ctrl/middleware"
 	"github.com/unkeyed/unkey/go/apps/ctrl/services/acme"
 	"github.com/unkeyed/unkey/go/apps/ctrl/services/acme/providers"
 	"github.com/unkeyed/unkey/go/apps/ctrl/services/ctrl"
@@ -203,16 +204,32 @@ func Run(ctx context.Context, cfg Config) error {
 	// Create the connect handler
 	mux := http.NewServeMux()
 
-	// Create the service handlers with interceptors
-	mux.Handle(ctrlv1connect.NewCtrlServiceHandler(ctrl.New(cfg.InstanceID, database)))
-	mux.Handle(ctrlv1connect.NewDeploymentServiceHandler(deployment.New(database, partitionDB, hydraEngine, logger)))
-	mux.Handle(ctrlv1connect.NewOpenApiServiceHandler(openapi.New(database, logger)))
+	// Create authentication middleware (required except for health check and ACME routes)
+	authMiddleware := middleware.NewAuthMiddleware(middleware.AuthConfig{
+		APIKey: cfg.APIKey,
+	})
+	authInterceptor := authMiddleware.ConnectInterceptor()
+
+	if cfg.APIKey != "" {
+		logger.Info("API key authentication enabled for ctrl service")
+	} else {
+		logger.Warn("No API key configured - authentication will reject all requests except health check and ACME routes")
+	}
+
+	// Create the service handlers with auth interceptor (always applied)
+	connectOptions := []connect.HandlerOption{
+		connect.WithInterceptors(authInterceptor),
+	}
+
+	mux.Handle(ctrlv1connect.NewCtrlServiceHandler(ctrl.New(cfg.InstanceID, database), connectOptions...))
+	mux.Handle(ctrlv1connect.NewDeploymentServiceHandler(deployment.New(database, partitionDB, hydraEngine, logger), connectOptions...))
+	mux.Handle(ctrlv1connect.NewOpenApiServiceHandler(openapi.New(database, logger), connectOptions...))
 	mux.Handle(ctrlv1connect.NewAcmeServiceHandler(acme.New(acme.Config{
 		PartitionDB: partitionDB,
 		DB:          database,
 		HydraEngine: hydraEngine,
 		Logger:      logger,
-	})))
+	}), connectOptions...))
 
 	// Configure server
 	addr := fmt.Sprintf(":%d", cfg.HttpPort)
diff --git a/go/cmd/ctrl/main.go b/go/cmd/ctrl/main.go
index 0ebd58cbab..60f2a04381 100644
--- a/go/cmd/ctrl/main.go
+++ b/go/cmd/ctrl/main.go
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ var Cmd = &cli.Command{
 		// Control Plane Specific
 		cli.String("auth-token", "Authentication token for control plane API access. Required for secure deployments.",
 			cli.EnvVar("UNKEY_AUTH_TOKEN")),
+		cli.String("api-key", "API key for simple authentication (demo purposes only). Will be replaced with JWT authentication.",
+			cli.Required(), cli.EnvVar("UNKEY_API_KEY")),
 		cli.String("metald-address", "Full URL of the metald service for VM operations. Required for deployments. Example: https://metald.example.com:8080",
 			cli.Required(), cli.EnvVar("UNKEY_METALD_ADDRESS")),
 		cli.String("spiffe-socket-path", "Path to SPIFFE agent socket for mTLS authentication. Default: /var/lib/spire/agent/agent.sock",
@@ -120,6 +122,7 @@ func action(ctx context.Context, cmd *cli.Command) error {
 
 		// Control Plane Specific
 		AuthToken:        cmd.String("auth-token"),
+		APIKey:           cmd.String("api-key"),
 		MetaldAddress:    cmd.String("metald-address"),
 		SPIFFESocketPath: cmd.String("spiffe-socket-path"),
 
diff --git a/go/cmd/deploy/control_plane.go b/go/cmd/deploy/control_plane.go
index 78db70644f..78f29a75eb 100644
--- a/go/cmd/deploy/control_plane.go
+++ b/go/cmd/deploy/control_plane.go
@@ -61,7 +61,12 @@ func (c *ControlPlaneClient) CreateDeployment(ctx context.Context, dockerImage s
 		DockerImage:     dockerImage,
 	})
 
-	createReq.Header().Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+c.opts.AuthToken)
+	// Use API key for authentication if provided, fallback to auth token
+	authHeader := c.opts.APIKey
+	if authHeader == "" {
+		authHeader = c.opts.AuthToken
+	}
+	createReq.Header().Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+authHeader)
 
 	createResp, err := c.client.CreateDeployment(ctx, createReq)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -81,7 +86,12 @@ func (c *ControlPlaneClient) GetDeployment(ctx context.Context, deploymentId str
 	getReq := connect.NewRequest(&ctrlv1.GetDeploymentRequest{
 		DeploymentId: deploymentId,
 	})
-	getReq.Header().Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+c.opts.AuthToken)
+	// Use API key for authentication if provided, fallback to auth token
+	authHeader := c.opts.APIKey
+	if authHeader == "" {
+		authHeader = c.opts.AuthToken
+	}
+	getReq.Header().Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+authHeader)
 
 	getResp, err := c.client.GetDeployment(ctx, getReq)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -226,10 +236,15 @@ func (c *ControlPlaneClient) handleCreateDeploymentError(err error) error {
 	// Check if it's an auth error
 	if connectErr := new(connect.Error); errors.As(err, &connectErr) {
 		if connectErr.Code() == connect.CodeUnauthenticated {
+			// Determine which auth method was used for better error message
+			authMethod := "API key"
+			if c.opts.APIKey == "" {
+				authMethod = "auth token"
+			}
 			return fault.Wrap(err,
 				fault.Code(codes.UnkeyAuthErrorsAuthenticationMalformed),
-				fault.Internal(fmt.Sprintf("Authentication failed with token: %s", c.opts.AuthToken)),
-				fault.Public("Authentication failed. Check your auth token."),
+				fault.Internal(fmt.Sprintf("Authentication failed with %s", authMethod)),
+				fault.Public(fmt.Sprintf("Authentication failed. Check your %s.", authMethod)),
 			)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/go/cmd/deploy/main.go b/go/cmd/deploy/main.go
index f8c2e5a994..446c99f69c 100644
--- a/go/cmd/deploy/main.go
+++ b/go/cmd/deploy/main.go
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ type DeployOptions struct {
 	Verbose         bool
 	ControlPlaneURL string
 	AuthToken       string
+	APIKey          string
 	Linux           bool
 }
 
@@ -124,6 +125,7 @@ var DeployFlags = []cli.Flag{
 	// Control plane flags (internal)
 	cli.String("control-plane-url", "Control plane URL", cli.Default(DefaultControlPlaneURL)),
 	cli.String("auth-token", "Control plane auth token", cli.Default(DefaultAuthToken)),
+	cli.String("api-key", "API key for ctrl service authentication", cli.EnvVar("API_KEY")),
 }
 
 // WARNING: Changing the "Description" part will also affect generated MDX.
@@ -206,6 +208,7 @@ func DeployAction(ctx context.Context, cmd *cli.Command) error {
 		Verbose:         cmd.Bool("verbose"),
 		ControlPlaneURL: cmd.String("control-plane-url"),
 		AuthToken:       cmd.String("auth-token"),
+		APIKey:          cmd.String("api-key"),
 		Linux:           cmd.Bool("linux"),
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/local/src/cmd/dashboard.ts b/tools/local/src/cmd/dashboard.ts
index 60dbd2bf10..c286bbb9ec 100644
--- a/tools/local/src/cmd/dashboard.ts
+++ b/tools/local/src/cmd/dashboard.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ export async function bootstrapDashboard(resources: {
     },
     ControlPlane: {
       CTRL_URL: "http://localhost:7091",
+      CTRL_API_KEY: "your-local-dev-key",
     },
   });