I'm currently working on a dashboard project that uses several APIs to showcase my skills with JSON and similar technologies. However, I'm concerned about how to securely hide the API keys while still keeping the application functional when I eventually host it on GitHub Pages. I heard something about using a terminal to create a new file for this purpose, but I'm not very comfortable with that method. Is there an easier way to do this? Also, what happens if I don't hide my API keys? Will the rest of my code be visible to anyone I share it with?
3 Answers
You can create a .env file to store your API keys and then add that file to your .gitignore. This will prevent Git from tracking it and exposing your keys. If you accidentally expose your keys, they can get misused, leading to extra charges, throttling, or even account closure from the API provider. It's just not worth the risk!
Remember, if your frontend makes API calls directly with the keys, users can easily see them in their browser’s developer tools. A better strategy is to use a backend. You can either use a limited-access API key or handle the API calls from your server instead of the client side.
Could you explain what moving API calling logic to the backend involves? I’d love to understand better!
Try using the dotenv package, which allows you to manage environment variables. Just load your keys into a .env file and include it in your .gitignore. If you're on Unix/Linux, learning basic terminal commands can really help; don't let the command line intimidate you! But remember, failing to hide your API keys can lead to major security issues, including unauthorized usage and potential billing surprises!
So, to use the keys, would it work like this? Store them in the .env file, link that in HTML, and then reference them in my JS? And don’t forget the .gitignore, right?