Frequently Asked Questions

Test My API Key is an educational security awareness tool that demonstrates why developers should never share API keys with untrusted websites. It provides a simulated API key validator that detects formats from 15+ providers and teaches best practices for API security.

This is an educational tool that demonstrates why you should never enter real API keys on random websites. The validation is simulated and runs entirely in your browser - no data is sent to any server. However, the lesson is clear: never trust websites asking for your API keys!

No, this is an educational demonstration. We only detect the format of your API key to identify which provider it belongs to. We do NOT make any actual API calls or validate whether the key is active. The tool is designed to teach security awareness.

API keys are like passwords to your services. If exposed, they can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, financial losses from usage charges, service disruptions, and damage to your reputation. Protecting API keys is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of your applications.

A leaked API key can result in unauthorized access to your services, unexpected charges from malicious usage, data breaches if the key has read permissions, rate limit exhaustion affecting legitimate users, and potential compliance violations. Always revoke compromised keys immediately.

Store API keys in environment variables, never commit them to version control, use .gitignore to exclude .env files, rotate keys regularly, apply the principle of least privilege, monitor usage for anomalies, use separate keys for different environments, and never share keys in public forums or with AI tools.

Be extremely cautious. Never paste real API keys in AI prompts, configure AI tools to ignore .env files, use placeholder values like 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE' in examples, review AI-generated code for hardcoded secrets, and remember that AI conversations may be stored and reviewed.

We support API keys from OpenAI, Stripe, GitHub, AWS, Anthropic Claude, SendGrid, Twilio, Discord, Slack, Firebase, Mapbox, Square, DigitalOcean, Heroku, Mailgun, and more. Each provider has unique patterns that we can detect in real-time.

We use regular expressions (regex) patterns specific to each provider to identify key formats. For example, OpenAI keys start with 'sk-', Stripe keys have 'sk_test_' or 'sk_live_' prefixes, and GitHub tokens begin with 'ghp_'. All detection happens client-side in your browser.

API keys are simple credentials that identify your application, while OAuth tokens represent authorized access on behalf of a user. API keys are typically long-lived and have fixed permissions, whereas OAuth tokens can expire and have user-specific scopes. Both need to be protected carefully.

No, absolutely not. All processing happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. We don't have any backend servers that receive or store API keys. The tool is designed to be educational while maintaining complete privacy.

The warning is the core educational component. It demonstrates the risk you just took by entering your API key on a random website. Even though we don't actually process your key, the lesson is important: never trust websites asking for your credentials.

No, this tool only detects the format of API keys to identify their provider. It doesn't make actual API calls or verify if keys are active. For real validation, use the official tools and dashboards provided by each service provider.

Yes! This educational tool is open source to promote transparency and allow the community to contribute. You can review the code to verify that no API keys are stored or transmitted, and even add support for new providers.