Please can you tell me what type of charging cable the 8th generation ipad has. I want to buy a longer one, does it have to be an apple one?

Hello. It comes with a Lightning to USB-C cable. You’ll need a longer version of the same if you want to use the included charger, but you can use a different type of lightning cable if you are using with a different charger. It doesn’t need to be Apple branded.

iPad 8th generation uses a lightning to USB-C cable.

If you decide to buy a non-Apple genuine cable, make sure it is MFI certified (MFI = Made For iPad/iPhone).

Regards

Giulio