YouTube API keys
YouTube Data 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
- Social Media
- API host
www.googleapis.com- Key format
AIzaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- Env variable
YOUTUBE- Sensitivity
- Medium
- Create a key
- https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials — Pick or create a project, enable YouTube Data API v3, then Create credentials → API key.
- Documentation
- https://developers.google.com/youtube/registering_an_application
A leaked key here is mostly a billing and quota problem rather than a data one — still worth rotating, rarely an emergency.
Kinds of YouTube key
API key
For public data (search, video metadata)
OAuth 2.0 client
Required for uploads and private user data
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 YouTube API key?
YouTube issues keys from https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials. Pick or create a project, enable YouTube Data API v3, then Create credentials → API key. 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 YouTube API key look like?
YouTube 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 YouTube?
Most projects use YOUTUBE. APIKeyConnect recognises these names, so importing an existing .env maps the value onto YouTube 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 YouTube 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.
Does YouTube have more than one kind of key?
Yes — API key, OAuth 2.0 client. They differ in scope, so keeping them as separate entries rather than one "the YouTube key" is what lets you rotate the risky one without touching the others.
Can APIKeyConnect see my YouTube 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.