Google Maps API keys
Google Maps 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
- Maps & Location
- API host
maps.googleapis.com- Key format
AIzaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- Env variable
GOOGLE_MAPS- Sensitivity
- Medium
- Create a key
- https://console.cloud.google.com/project/_/google/maps-apis/credentials — Create credentials → API key, then restrict it to the Maps APIs you use.
- Documentation
- https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation
A leaked key here is mostly a billing and quota problem rather than a data one — still worth rotating, rarely an emergency.
Kinds of Google Maps key
API 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 Maps API key?
Google Maps issues keys from https://console.cloud.google.com/project/_/google/maps-apis/credentials. Create credentials → API key, then restrict it to the Maps APIs you use. 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 Maps API key look like?
Google Maps keys follow the pattern AIzaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. 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 Maps?
Most projects use GOOGLE_MAPS. APIKeyConnect recognises these names, so importing an existing .env maps the value onto Google Maps 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 Maps key?
Medium sensitivity. A leaked key here is mostly a billing and quota problem rather than a data one — still worth rotating, rarely an emergency.
Can APIKeyConnect see my Google Maps 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.