⚠️ Scan Your Website for Free
Detect 150+ types of exposed secrets in seconds • No signup required
The Silent Security Crisis No One Talks About
Every single day, thousands of developers accidentally expose API keys, database credentials, and authentication tokens in their production websites. Not because they're careless—but because modern web development makes it dangerously easy.
🚨 Real-World Consequences
- $50,000+ AWS bill from exposed access keys used for cryptocurrency mining
- Customer data breach from leaked database connection strings
- Unauthorized API access draining OpenAI/Anthropic credit balances
- Payment fraud via exposed Stripe live API keys
- Account takeovers through leaked authentication tokens
These aren't hypothetical scenarios. These are real incidents that happened to real companies—some with dedicated security teams. If it can happen to them, it can happen to you.
📊 The Statistics Are Alarming
- • 78% of organizations have exposed API keys in production code
- • 2.5 million+ secrets leaked via public GitHub repositories annually
- • Average time to detect exposed credentials: 197 days
- • 91% of data breaches involve compromised credentials
- • Automated bots scan for exposed keys within minutes of deployment
How API Keys Get Exposed (The Hidden Dangers)
Even experienced developers fall into these traps. Modern JavaScript frameworks, build tools, and deployment pipelines create multiple points of failure:
1. Frontend Environment Variables
Using NEXT_PUBLIC_*, VITE_*, or REACT_APP_* variables? They're embedded in your JavaScript bundles and visible to anyone who opens DevTools.
const apiKey = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_KEY
// Anyone can extract it from your .js files
2. Hardcoded Credentials
During development, it's tempting to hardcode API keys "just for testing." Then you forget to remove them before deployment.
const openaiKey = "sk-proj-abc123xyz..."
const stripeSecret = "sk_live_51..."
3. Git History & .env Files
Even if you delete exposed keys from your current code, they remain in Git history forever. Accidentally committed a .env file? Attackers scan commit history automatically.
4. Build Tool Leaks
Webpack, Vite, and other bundlers can accidentally expose secrets through sourcemaps, error messages, or configuration objects embedded in bundles.
⚡ Critical Insight:
Attackers use automated tools to scan every newly deployed website for exposed secrets. If your API key is visible in your JavaScript, it's already been found and cataloged by malicious bots—often within 15 minutes of deployment.
Free API Key Security Scanner – Detects 150+ types of exposed secrets including AWS, Stripe, OpenAI, GitHub, and database credentials
What Our Free Scanner Detects
We've built the most comprehensive free API key scanner available. No signup required, no credit card, no games. Just paste your URL and get instant results.
☁️ Cloud Providers
- • AWS Access Keys & Secret Keys
- • Google Cloud API Keys
- • Azure Connection Strings
- • DigitalOcean Tokens
- • Cloudflare API Keys
💳 Payment Processors
- • Stripe API Keys (Live & Test)
- • PayPal Client Secrets
- • Square Access Tokens
- • Braintree Tokens
🤖 AI Service APIs
- • OpenAI API Keys
- • Anthropic Claude Keys
- • Google AI (Gemini) Keys
- • Cohere API Tokens
- • Hugging Face Tokens
🗄️ Databases & Backend
- • Supabase Keys & JWTs
- • Firebase Credentials
- • MongoDB Connection Strings
- • PostgreSQL URLs
- • MySQL Credentials
🔧 Developer Tools
- • GitHub Personal Access Tokens
- • GitLab Access Tokens
- • npm Tokens
- • Vercel Tokens
- • Netlify API Keys
📧 Communication APIs
- • Twilio Auth Tokens
- • SendGrid API Keys
- • Mailgun Keys
- • Mailchimp Keys
- • Slack Tokens
150+ Secret Pattern Detection
Plus: JWT tokens, SSH private keys, OAuth secrets, database connection strings, and more
Scan Your Website Now →How to Find Leaked Credentials in Code: Best Practices to Secure API Keys
Beyond using our free API key security scanner tool, implementing these best practices will help you prevent API key exposure in production and protect your API keys from leaks before they happen:
🔒 Secure Environment Variables Usage
- ✓ Use server-side environment variables – Never use client-side prefixes like
NEXT_PUBLIC_,VITE_, orREACT_APP_for sensitive keys - ✓ Implement automated secret detection for frontend – Use pre-commit hooks and CI/CD pipeline scanners like detect-secrets or git-secrets
- ✓ Scan live websites for credential leaks regularly – Run security scans after every deployment to catch accidental exposures
- ✓ Use secret management tools – AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, or Doppler for centralized secret management
- ✓ Rotate and revoke exposed API keys immediately – Don't delay if you discover a leak; attackers work fast
🎯 Quick Tip: Prevent API Key Exposure in Production
The #1 cause of credential leaks is confusion between server-side and client-side code. Remember this rule:
✓ Server-side API Keys (SAFE):
DATABASE_URL, STRIPE_SECRET_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY
✗ Client-side API Keys (EXPOSED):
NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_KEY, VITE_OPENAI_KEY, REACT_APP_AWS_KEY
⚡ Automated Secret Detection Tools
Integrate these free tools to detect exposed API keys on websites and in your codebase:
- • Gitleaks – Scan git repositories for secrets in commit history
- • TruffleHog – High-entropy string and pattern detection
- • detect-secrets – Pre-commit hook to prevent committing secrets
- • GitHub Secret Scanning – Automatic scanning for GitHub repositories
- • Our Free Scanner – Scan live production websites instantly
How the Scanner Works (The Technical Details)
Our scanner uses the same detection patterns as industry-standard tools like Gitleaks and TruffleHog, but it's completely free and works on any live website—no repository access needed.
🔍 Scanning Process:
-
1
Fetches Your Website
Retrieves HTML, JavaScript bundles, CSS files, and inline scripts from your live website
-
2
Analyzes Content
Scans all text content using 150+ regex patterns for known secret formats
-
3
Context-Aware Detection
Uses smart pattern matching to reduce false positives from build hashes and UUIDs
-
4
Instant Results
Shows severity levels, exact locations, and context previews in 2-5 seconds
🔒 Privacy & Security
- ✓ No data storage – We don't save URLs or detected secrets
- ✓ No signup required – Completely anonymous scanning
- ✓ Protected infrastructure – SSRF, zip bomb, and slowloris attack prevention
- ✓ Rate limited – Vercel Firewall prevents abuse
What to Do If Exposed Keys Are Found
Finding exposed API keys is not the end of the world—but you need to act immediately. Here's your step-by-step remediation plan:
⚡ IMMEDIATE (Do This Right Now)
- 1. Rotate ALL exposed keys – Go to each service's dashboard and generate new keys
- 2. Revoke old keys – Don't just generate new ones, explicitly revoke the exposed keys
- 3. Check access logs – Look for unauthorized API usage or suspicious activity
- 4. Change passwords – If admin credentials were exposed, change them immediately
🔧 SHORT-TERM (Within 24 Hours)
- 1. Remove secrets from code – Delete all hardcoded API keys
- 2. Move to environment variables – Use server-side env vars, never client-side
- 3. Update Git history – Use tools like git-filter-repo to remove secrets from commits
- 4. Enable rate limiting – Add API rate limits and IP restrictions
- 5. Set up billing alerts – Get notified if usage spikes unexpectedly
🛡️ LONG-TERM (Prevent Future Leaks)
- 1. Use a secrets manager – AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, or Doppler
- 2. Add pre-commit hooks – Scan for secrets before commits with tools like detect-secrets
- 3. Enable secret scanning – GitHub, GitLab offer automatic secret detection
- 4. Implement API gateways – Never expose backend API keys to frontend
- 5. Regular security audits – Scan your production sites monthly
# Example: Proper environment variable usage
# ✓ GOOD: Server-side onlyAPI_KEY=your_secret_key
# ✗ BAD: Client-side exposed
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_KEY=your_secret_key
VITE_API_KEY=your_secret_key
REACT_APP_API_KEY=your_secret_key
Why We Built This (And Why It's Free)
At VibeFactory, we build AI-powered development tools. We've seen countless developers—from solo founders to enterprise teams—accidentally expose API keys in production.
The existing solutions have problems:
- • GitHub secret scanning only works for committed code, not live websites
- • Commercial scanners require expensive subscriptions and lengthy setup
- • Manual inspection is time-consuming and error-prone
- • Security teams are often too busy to scan every deployment
We believe security tools should be accessible to everyone. That's why our API Key Security Scanner is:
✓ 100% Free
No trials, no premium tiers, no hidden costs
✓ No Signup Required
Start scanning immediately, no account needed
✓ Instant Results
Get comprehensive reports in 2-5 seconds
✓ Production-Grade
150+ patterns from Gitleaks & TruffleHog
Our Mission:
Make web development more secure by giving every developer—from students to enterprises—free access to professional-grade security scanning. Because a $50,000 AWS bill shouldn't be how you learn about API key security.
Don't Wait Until It's Too Late
Attackers are scanning for exposed API keys right now. It takes 2 seconds to check if you're vulnerable.
No signup • No credit card • Results in 2-5 seconds
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this scanner really completely free?
Yes, 100% free with no catches. No signup, no trials, no premium features locked behind a paywall. We believe security tools should be accessible to everyone.
Do you store the URLs I scan or the secrets you find?
No. We don't store any URLs, scan results, or detected secrets. The scan happens in real-time, results are displayed to you, and then discarded immediately. We take your privacy seriously.
How accurate is the scanner? Will I get false positives?
Our scanner uses context-aware detection to minimize false positives. We've specifically tuned patterns to avoid matching build hashes, UUIDs, and deployment IDs. However, some generic patterns may still trigger—review each result carefully.
Can I scan private/internal websites?
The scanner can only access publicly available websites. For internal/private sites, you'll need to scan from within your network or use our open-source detection patterns in your CI/CD pipeline.
What if I find exposed keys? What should I do?
Immediately rotate all exposed keys in your service dashboards, revoke the old keys, check access logs for unauthorized usage, remove secrets from your codebase, and move to environment variables. See the "What to Do If Exposed Keys Are Found" section above for detailed steps.
How often should I scan my website?
We recommend scanning after every deployment, at minimum monthly. Better yet, integrate secret scanning into your CI/CD pipeline to catch issues before they reach production.
Final Thoughts: Security Is Not Optional
Exposed API keys are one of the most common—and most preventable—security vulnerabilities in modern web development. A single leaked key can cost you thousands of dollars, compromise customer data, or destroy your reputation.
The good news? Detection is free, fast, and easy. You can scan your entire website for 150+ types of exposed secrets in under 5 seconds. No signup, no installation, no complexity.
Don't wait for a $50,000 AWS bill to learn this lesson. Don't wait for a customer data breach. Don't wait for attackers to find your keys before you do.
About VibeFactory.ai
VibeFactory builds AI-powered development tools that help developers ship faster without compromising security. Our free API Key Security Scanner is part of our commitment to making web development more secure for everyone.
Questions about the scanner? Found a bug? Have suggestions?