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Why Should You Integrate Vault API Into Your System?

Why Should You Integrate Vault API Into Your System

With current technology, creating applications and connecting various services is easy. For example, there are multiple platforms and app builders where you can develop your business application in a few minutes. There are always drawbacks. For instance, the security of your application can become weak if you mainly depend on the app builder platform. On the other hand, if you build your business application from scratch, you will have access to the code and all application layers and can secure the application at all levels. Furthermore, if you apply Vault API or key management to your system, that can be an excellent addition to the system.

Moreover, current applications utilize various services inside, which they authenticate with API access keys or secret messages. Saving and using those secret strings in source code without hashing or securing them might give exploiters access. For instance, in a few steps, Android applications can easily be extracted and browsed through source code. There are several ways to store those secret keys. In this article, I will demonstrate several ways to do it.

What Is A Secret Key Or Secret String?

A secret key is a piece of information or a parameter used in symmetric or secret-key encryption to encrypt and decrypt messages. Asymmetric encryption employs two distinct keys. The first is a public key, and the second is a secret key. A private key is another name for a secret key.

The secret string is a single line of text that allows you to authenticate to any system or service. For example, if there is a RESTful API service, you can show with that string a secret parameter you should use with caution.

What Is Hashing?

What Is Hashing

The operation of hashing converts a given key to another value. The new value is generated using a hash function using a mathematical technique. Hash values or hashes are the outcomes of a hash function.

In other words, the hash cannot be turned back into the original key.

As I will explain, you can secure various types of data by hashing and converting them to an unreadable format.

What Are API keys?

A key for an application programming interface (API) is a code that identifies the application or user requesting access to the API. As you might expect, API keys serve as the keys that enable all the applications an organization communicates with to grant access to authorized users and systems and deny access to unauthorized users and systems.

What Is A Key Management API?

The process by which an organization manages, tracks, and maintains all of its API keys. Since API keys are used to validate and control API usage, they can also be used to ensure API security.

As is often the case when it comes to API management, the answer to the question “what is API keys used for?” is varied. Because of this, organizations require an API key management strategy. It will assist them in monitoring and maintaining the various API keys used internally and externally.

Why Is Key Management Important?

The purpose of the API key is to ensure that only authorized users and applications can connect to a given API. Consider that virtually every organization uses a vast number of APIs daily.

API key management entails much more than just cataloging API keys. API key management encompasses a wide range of actions and features, including:

  • Create a new cell to store the key/string
  • Define the restrictions attached to a particular cell
  • Assign the relevant credentials to the API key so the appropriate users and applications can access the correct data.
  • Rotate the secret strings
  • Verify and maintain API key security
  • Ability to use own encryption methods to secure

Numerous large service providers support this essential management function. However, what if you require a location to store independent secret values that will be used to establish connections?

What Is The Vault API?

Vault API is a fully-featured encrypted data store and key management backend.

What Is The Vault API
Vault API – App Backends

Vault API provides an application backend for:

  • Encryption key generation, storage and management
  • Content storage of any size (text only)
  • Automated encryption of content
  • Ability to use your encryption keys (optional)
  • Ability to browse the contents simulating a file system structure

Use it for secure storage and or any secure key management backend. For example, you can build essentials for developing your encrypted notebook app. You can create a fast password storage service. You can also use it as a secure and encrypted configuration parameter storage.  

How To Get Started With Vault API?

You won’t have a problem if you have little experience working with RESTful APIs. Vault API by APILayer is also built around REST technology, and accessing the endpoints is straightforward. 

First, sign up on the APILayer marketplace and search for “Vault API”. Then you can select the free subscription plan to get started. 

In your dashboard, you will see your API access key that you will use to authenticate your project with the Vault API.

authenticate your project with the Vault API
APILayer Dashboard

How To Integrate Vault API Into Python App?

Here is a Python application’s sample code to authenticate with the Vault API.

As you know, the Vault should have various actions, like:

  • Delete a key
  • Create a key
  • Browse keys
  • Get a key
  • and more

Here are some of the other functionalities of the Vault API. You learn about all of them on the official documentation page. 

Moreover, check out these fantastic tutorials where you can learn more about various APIs to automate things:

Why Should You Use Vault API By APILayer?

I assume that I have described most of the potentials of this Vault API by APILayer. It is one of the most potent and fast Vault services you can find for your next project. Head over now and get your free subscription plan for Vault API.       

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