Leaked API keys are one of the most common and costly mistakes in AI development. Here's how to protect yours — at every stage of development.
API key leaks are one of the most expensive mistakes in AI development. A leaked key can rack up thousands of dollars in charges within hours — and some providers take days to respond to abuse reports.
Never hardcode keys
Use environment variables. Every language and framework has a standard pattern: .envfiles locally, secrets managers (AWS Secrets Manager, Doppler, Vault) in production. If it's in your source code, it'll eventually end up in your git history — even if you delete it later.
Rotate keys regularly
Nova makes key rotation easy. You can create a new key, update your environment, then revoke the old one — with zero downtime. We recommend rotating every 90 days as a baseline.
Set spending limits
On Nova, you can set a per-key spending limit in the console. If a key leaks, the blast radius is capped at your configured limit. This doesn't replace good key hygiene, but it significantly reduces downside risk.
Monitor usage
Nova's usage dashboard shows per-key request counts and costs in real time. Set up email alerts for unusual spend spikes. A sudden 10x increase in requests at 3am is a red flag worth investigating before it becomes a $500 incident.
Mia Torres
Co-founder & CTO at Nova