OpenAI API keys
OpenAI 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
- AI & Machine Learning
- API host
api.openai.com- Key format
sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- Env variable
OPENAI · OPEN_AI- Sensitivity
- High
- Create a key
- https://platform.openai.com/api-keys — Click "Create new secret key". If you land on the dashboard, use Settings → API keys.
- Documentation
- https://platform.openai.com/docs/api-reference
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.
Rate limits
- Default Tier
- 60 requests per minute
- Paid Tier
- 3500 requests per minute
Separate keys per project are worth the small extra effort here: a runaway script then throttles itself rather than your production traffic.
Kinds of OpenAI key
Personal API Key
For individual use
Organization API Key
Tied to specific organization
Handling it well
- Keep separate keys for different projects
- Monitor usage regularly
- Rotate keys periodically for security
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 OpenAI API key?
OpenAI issues keys from https://platform.openai.com/api-keys. Click "Create new secret key". If you land on the dashboard, use Settings → API keys. 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 OpenAI API key look like?
OpenAI keys follow the pattern sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. 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 OpenAI?
Most projects use OPENAI, OPEN_AI. APIKeyConnect recognises these names, so importing an existing .env maps the value onto OpenAI 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 OpenAI 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.
What are the OpenAI API rate limits?
Default Tier: 60 requests per minute; Paid Tier: 3500 requests per minute. Rate limits are a reason to hold separate keys per project rather than sharing one — a runaway script then throttles itself instead of your production traffic.
Does OpenAI have more than one kind of key?
Yes — Personal API Key, Organization API Key. They differ in scope, so keeping them as separate entries rather than one "the OpenAI key" is what lets you rotate the risky one without touching the others.
Can APIKeyConnect see my OpenAI 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.