You’re utilizing a model management system and your mission makes use of some companies that require API keys. That is all properly and good once you’re in your native machine, however you clearly do not need to share these API keys with the world.

How can we preserve our API keys inside our app, but in addition disguise them after we push our code to our repository?

We would like to have the ability to proceed to make use of our API keys as regular inside our functions, but in addition not expose them.

That is the place mysteries enters. Just like those you retain only for your self, however in a developer method.

Secrets and techniques can signify essential info that your app requires to operate, however they should not be seen to anybody working outdoors of the mission. These might be API keys or authorization tokens, however in essence it’s any authorization info that ought to solely be utilized by you and solely you. Just like how you do not need to share your web site password with anybody else.

🚨 Disclaimer: Please word that the answer supplied on this article works to not expose your secrets and techniques out of your model management system, however since they’re a part of your software, they’ll nonetheless be found by decompiling your APK. To learn how to do it, right here is an efficient start line.

Protecting your secrets and techniques secure

1. In your mission, it’s best to have a native.properties file within the root listing of your mission
2. To ensure your model management system ignores it, open the .gitignore file and see what’s there:

3. You have to to import the Secrets and techniques Gradle plugin into your mission:

3.1. Go to the basis construct.gradle file of your mission and paste the next line:

 buildscript 
dependencies 
id 'com.google.android.libraries.mapsplatform.secrets-gradle-plugin' model '2.0.1' apply false

3.2. Go to your software’s construct.gradle file and paste the next line:

plugins 
...
id 'com.google.android.libraries.mapsplatform.secrets-gradle-plugin'

4. Add your API key contained in the native.properties file:

5. You need to use your secret inside your AndroidManifest.xml file by including a metadata tag inside your app tag:

 <software
android:allowBackup="true" 
.....
>
<exercise>
....
</exercise>
<meta-data
android:title="YOUR_API_KEY_NAME"     /// Select any worth right here
android:worth="$API_KEY_NAME"/>    /// Write the title you gave inside your native.properties file
</software>

6. To entry your API key, you should utilize the PackageManager to get the metadata:

val applicationInfo: ApplicationInfo = software.packageManager
.getApplicationInfo(software.packageName, PackageManager.GET_META_DATA)
val apiKey = applicationInfo.metaData["YOUR_API_KEY_NAME"]

7. Alternatively, you can too use the BuildConfig object to get it:

BuildConfig.YOUR_API_KEY_NAME