Google Cloud API keys
Google Cloud Platform credentials belong in configuration, not in a commit. This page covers where to create one, what it looks like, and how APIKeyConnect stores it without ever being able to read it.
The facts
- Category
- Cloud Services
- API host
*.googleapis.com- Key format
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- Env variable
GEMINI · GOOGLE · GOOGLE_CLOUD · GCLOUD · GOOGLE_GENAI · GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI- Sensitivity
- Critical
- Create a key
- https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials — Create credentials → API key (or Service account). Keys are project-scoped, so pick the project in the top bar first.
- Documentation
- https://cloud.google.com/docs
A leaked key here can move money, delete data, or impersonate your organisation. Rotate immediately if one is ever exposed, and never let one reach a client bundle.
Kinds of Google Cloud key
API Key
Service Account Key
How APIKeyConnect stores it
The key is encrypted in your browser with AES-256-GCM, under a key derived from your master password with PBKDF2-SHA-256 at 600,000 iterations. The password never leaves your device, and the server holds ciphertext it has no way to open.
What the server can see — and what this design does not protect against — is written out in full on the security page. That section exists because a page with no limits section is marketing.
Questions
Where do I get a Google Cloud API key?
Google Cloud issues keys from https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials. Create credentials → API key (or Service account). Keys are project-scoped, so pick the project in the top bar first. Once you have it, store it in APIKeyConnect rather than in a .env file you might commit — the key is encrypted on your device with a master password we never receive.
What does a Google Cloud API key look like?
Google Cloud keys follow the pattern xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Knowing the shape is useful for spotting one that has been pasted into a commit, a log line, or a support ticket — the places keys leak from most often.
What environment variable should I use for Google Cloud?
Most projects use GEMINI, GOOGLE, GOOGLE_CLOUD, GCLOUD, GOOGLE_GENAI, GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI. APIKeyConnect recognises these names, so importing an existing .env maps the value onto Google Cloud automatically instead of leaving it as an unlabelled string, and generating a .env writes it back under the same name.
How dangerous is a leaked Google Cloud key?
Critical sensitivity. A leaked key here can move money, delete data, or impersonate your organisation. Rotate immediately if one is ever exposed, and never let one reach a client bundle.
Does Google Cloud have more than one kind of key?
Yes — API Key, Service Account Key. They differ in scope, so keeping them as separate entries rather than one "the Google Cloud key" is what lets you rotate the risky one without touching the others.
Can APIKeyConnect see my Google Cloud key?
No. The key is encrypted in your browser with AES-256-GCM under a key derived from your master password (PBKDF2-SHA-256, 600,000 iterations). The password never leaves your device and the server stores ciphertext it cannot open. What the server can see is documented in full on the security page, including what this design does not protect against.