Google Ads API keys
Google Ads API 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
- Marketing & Ads
- API host
googleads.googleapis.com- Env variable
GOOGLE_ADS- Sensitivity
- Critical
- Create a key
- https://ads.google.com/aw/apicenter — You must be signed into a Google Ads manager (MCC) account — ordinary accounts have no API Center.
- Documentation
- https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/get-started/dev-token
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 Ads key
Developer token
From the API Center of a Google Ads manager account
OAuth 2.0 client secret
Also required — the developer token alone cannot call the API
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 Ads API key?
Google Ads issues keys from https://ads.google.com/aw/apicenter. You must be signed into a Google Ads manager (MCC) account — ordinary accounts have no API Center. 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 environment variable should I use for Google Ads?
Most projects use GOOGLE_ADS. APIKeyConnect recognises these names, so importing an existing .env maps the value onto Google Ads 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 Ads 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 Ads have more than one kind of key?
Yes — Developer token, OAuth 2.0 client secret. They differ in scope, so keeping them as separate entries rather than one "the Google Ads key" is what lets you rotate the risky one without touching the others.
Can APIKeyConnect see my Google Ads 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.