API Key Management

API Key Management is crucial in back-end development as it ensures secure communication between clients and servers. This lesson covers how to generate, store, and manage API keys effectively.

What is an API Key?

An API key is a unique identifier used to authenticate a client or application when making requests to an API. It serves as a secret token that is passed with each request.

Purpose of API Keys

• Authentication: Verifies the identity of the requester.
• Access Control: Restricts access to certain API features.
• Usage Tracking: Monitors API usage for billing and analytics.

Managing API Keys

• Generate unique keys for each application.
• Use environment variables to store keys securely.
• Implement rotation policies to change keys periodically.
• Limit key permissions based on user roles.
• Monitor and log API usage for anomalies.

Generating an API Key

import os
import secrets

def generate_api_key():
    return secrets.token_hex(16)

api_key = generate_api_key()
print("Generated API Key:", api_key)
            

Storing API Keys Securely

import os

# Store API key in an environment variable
os.environ['API_KEY'] = 'your_generated_api_key'

# Accessing the API key
api_key = os.getenv('API_KEY')
print("Accessed API Key:", api_key)
            

Using API Keys in Requests

import requests

api_key = os.getenv('API_KEY')
response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/data', headers={'Authorization': f'Bearer {api_key}'})
print(response.json())