Unsplash API keys
Unsplash 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.unsplash.com- Key format
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- Env variable
UNSPLASH- Sensitivity
- Low
- Create a key
- https://unsplash.com/oauth/applications — Open your application and copy the Access Key, or use "New Application" if the list is empty.
- Documentation
- https://unsplash.com/documentation
This credential is designed to be public or is heavily scoped. It still belongs in configuration rather than committed source.
Kinds of Unsplash key
Access Key
Secret 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 Unsplash API key?
Unsplash issues keys from https://unsplash.com/oauth/applications. Open your application and copy the Access Key, or use "New Application" if the list is empty. 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 Unsplash API key look like?
Unsplash keys follow the pattern xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. 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 Unsplash?
Most projects use UNSPLASH. APIKeyConnect recognises these names, so importing an existing .env maps the value onto Unsplash 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 Unsplash key?
Low sensitivity. This credential is designed to be public or is heavily scoped. It still belongs in configuration rather than committed source.
Does Unsplash have more than one kind of key?
Yes — Access Key, Secret Key. They differ in scope, so keeping them as separate entries rather than one "the Unsplash key" is what lets you rotate the risky one without touching the others.
Can APIKeyConnect see my Unsplash 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.