Gmail API keys
Gmail SMTP 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
- Communication & Messaging
- API host
smtp.gmail.com- Key format
App Password (16 characters)- Env variable
GMAIL- Sensitivity
- High
- Create a key
- https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords — Generates a 16-character App Password for smtp.gmail.com and needs 2-Step Verification on. For the Gmail API instead, use Google Cloud console credentials.
- Documentation
- https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7126229
A leaked key here bills you and can read or write account data. Treat it like a password: server-side only, rotated on staff changes.
Kinds of Gmail key
App Password
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 Gmail API key?
Gmail issues keys from https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords. Generates a 16-character App Password for smtp.gmail.com and needs 2-Step Verification on. For the Gmail API instead, use Google Cloud console credentials. 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 Gmail API key look like?
Gmail keys follow the pattern App Password (16 characters). 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 Gmail?
Most projects use GMAIL. APIKeyConnect recognises these names, so importing an existing .env maps the value onto Gmail 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 Gmail key?
High sensitivity. A leaked key here bills you and can read or write account data. Treat it like a password: server-side only, rotated on staff changes.
Can APIKeyConnect see my Gmail 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.