How to Store API Credentials In a Flutter Application?

• General

In the modern-day, people have been mainly accessing smartphones widely. With the advancement in technology, it is quite an efficient option for making online banking, shopping, chatting, handling your online businesses, and many more.

Index

1. Steps Overview
2. Create The Secrets File
3. Adding Secret Keys
4. Use Secret Keys Within Flutter
5. Load the variables from the .env file anywhere

Most people are widely dependent on mobile apps and keep a lot of sensitive data on their devices. Even with the increased range of mobile devices, there are various security features available for the developers and users.

Securing With Flutter Application:

Flutter mainly puts app security at the top aspects. It is the main priority for Flutter to ensure that they get the complete way of safeguarding the data of the user. Adding many security and authentication plugins makes it a completely suitable option.

It is also a suitable option for integrating sign-in plugins on the app, which allows great value for user authentication. Seeking the top-ranked Flutter Agency is the best option for finding the right solution.

Whether you are looking to store your API credentials in a flutter application, then seeking professional guidance would be a great option. These are also a suitable way for saving your time and storing the API credentials appropriately.

Better Steps Of Storing In Flutter:

For enhancing your security features, it is the best way to integrate the official security plugins with the Flutter. There is no need to handle everything all by yourselves for securing your data as these are suitable options for giving you the complete solution.

When you are integrating the plugin for Google Authentication, then you can easily add the Flutter application to the highest extent. Normally, there are various ways available for easily storing the API credentials or API keys, such as:

Ø  Flutter libraries for storing them
Ø  API keys in Cloud Functions
Ø  Stores API key in Firebase Firestore

1. Create The Secrets File:

Normally, the Flutter Application has the API credentials so that they are not exposed to pushing the Git repository. You can easily keep API keys along with the secret on the version control.

It is quite a convenient option to create a folder named auth or your preferred name. Now you can create the secrets file within the auth folder. For example, it is renamed as secrets.dart file, then you can follow the below Folder structure.

-lib
  -auth  
-secrets.dart

2. Adding Secret Keys:

1. Add the Secret Keys is the second step with compiling the folder.
2. Open the secrets.dart file.
3. Add your API Key variable.
4. You can name it as mySecretKey.
5. mySecretKey holds the value of the API key.
6. API Key’s value gets different with the API keys never being the same.
7. Add file to .gitignore
8. Add the Secrets.dart file to .gitignore:

With the completion of storing the API Keys, it is quite important to add the path for the secrets.dart file to .gitignore file. This is a suitable option for easily pushing the codes on the version control.

3. Use Secret Keys Within Flutter:

Import secrets.dart file to part of the file of code
Interpolate secrets key variable name
Interpolate variable name to refer to API Key in the secrets. dart file
With making the above process, it is quite an efficient option for storing these attributes in the Flutter application. Storing API credentials in a Flutter Application is an easy process so that you can easily gain the better attribute in saving your time.

Project with null safety features

flutter_dotenv: ^4.0.0-nullsafety.0
A project without null safety features
flutter_dotenv: ^3.1.0
Create a file in the root directory called .env
.env file is basically a file that stores secret variables
Add your secret API keys in the .env file
With making this .env file, you can add assets in the pubspec.YAML

Assets:

  - .env
run
flutter pub get
main.dart file load the .env file
import 'package:flutter_dotenv/flutter_dotenv.dart' as DotEnv;
Future main() async {
  await DotEnv.load(fileName: ".env"); 
//...runapp
}

4. Load the variables from the .env file anywhere

 import 'package:flutter_dotenv/flutter_dotenv.dart';
env['SUPER_SECRET_API_KEY'];
Folder tree
-lib
  -auth  
-keys.dart
   -secrets.json
secrets.json
//Add API KEY HERE
{
"api_key": "ee4444444a095fc613c5189b2"
}
keys.dart
import 'dart:async' show Future;
import 'dart:convert' show json;
import 'package:flutter/services.dart' show rootBundle;
class Secret {
  final String apikey;
Secret({this.apikey=""});
  factory Secret.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic>jsonMap){
	return new Secret(apikey:jsonMap["api_key"]);
  }
}
class SecretLoader {
  final String secretPath;
SecretLoader({this.secretPath});
 Future load() {
	return rootBundle.loadStructuredData(this.secretPath,
       	(jsonStr) async {     	
final secret = Secret.fromJson(json.decode(jsonStr));
     	return secret;   	
});
  }
}

Now install firebase_remote_config for Flutter.

class Secret {
  final String apiKey;  Secret({this.apiKey = ""});  factory Secret.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> jsonMap) {
	return new Secret(apiKey: jsonMap["api_key"]);
  }
}
import 'dart:async' show Future;
import 'dart:convert' show json;
import 'package:flutter/services.dart' show rootBundle;class SecretLoader {
  final String secretPath;  
SecretLoader({this.secretPath});
Future load() {
	return rootBundle.loadStructuredData(this.secretPath,   	
(jsonStr) async { 	
final secret = Secret.fromJson(json.decode(jsonStr)); 	
return secret;
	});
  }
}

Secret API Keys:

The Secret API Keys are a mainly useful option for identifying the user, project, or developer. These are also suitable options for calling the program along with the Application Programming Interface or API. It is quite a convenient option for authenticating the project using the API. This also helps to authorize the Login or even initiate the payment mode.

Normally, it is not a safe option for storing the secret keys with the version controls such as Github, BitBucket, Gitlab, or any others. These give better authorization along with increasing access for the applications.

When you are looking for the best guidance from the Flutter Agency, then consulting the professionals would be a great option. It is a much more efficient option for giving you a better way to save more time.

Conclusion:

For secure storage, it is quite important to rely on corresponding native platforms. Even though Android and iOS provide the best mechanism to securely store keys, choosing the Flutter Application is one of the effective ways. Flutter channels are effective for storing keys for a long time.

As a leading Flutter development company – Flutter Agency we have a professional team of flutter developers, and provide essential tools like code libs, and more. Get more updates on Flutter app development technology!

Written by Nirali Patel

Nirali Patel is a dedicated Flutter developer with over two years of experience, specializing in creating seamless mobile applications using Dart. With a passion for crafting user-centric solutions, Nirali combines technical proficiency with innovative thinking to push the boundaries of mobile app development.