Pexels API keys
Pexels 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
- Content & Media
- API host
api.pexels.com- Key format
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- Env variable
PEXELS- Sensitivity
- Low
- Create a key
- https://www.pexels.com/api/new/ — Signed-in users see their API key on this page.
- Documentation
- https://www.pexels.com/api/documentation/
This credential is designed to be public or is heavily scoped. It still belongs in configuration rather than committed source.
Kinds of Pexels 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 Pexels API key?
Pexels issues keys from https://www.pexels.com/api/new/. Signed-in users see their API key on this page. 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 Pexels API key look like?
Pexels keys follow the pattern 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 Pexels?
Most projects use PEXELS. APIKeyConnect recognises these names, so importing an existing .env maps the value onto Pexels 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 Pexels key?
Low sensitivity. This credential is designed to be public or is heavily scoped. It still belongs in configuration rather than committed source.
Can APIKeyConnect see my Pexels 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.