Secret vs Public Key

Understanding the difference between secret and public API keys in Helicone. Learn about access levels, usage examples, and best practices.

1 min read

Key Type	Access	Path Auth	Header Auth	REST API
Public	Write-Only	Yes	Yes	No
Secret	Read + Write	Not Recommended	Yes	Yes

Usage Examples#

import OpenAI from "openai";// Use secret or public keyconst openai = new OpenAI({  apiKey: request.env.OPENAI_API_KEY,  baseURL: "https://oai.helicone.ai/v1",  defaultHeaders: {    "Helicone-Auth": `Bearer ${HELICONE_SECRET_API_KEY}`,  },});

Note

Ensure that secret keys are always kept secure and never exposed in client-side code.