Is it safe to put your API key into another app?
An API key is a spending credential. Before you paste one into any app, here's what separates a safe tool from a reckless one.
What a key actually is
A provider API key is not a login — it's a bearer credential for spending. Anyone who holds it can run charges on your account until you revoke it, with no password prompt in the way. That's why pasting one into a tool you don't fully trust is genuinely risky, and why 'is it safe to share my API key' is the right question to ask.
What a responsible tool does with it
- Encrypts the key at rest, so a database leak doesn't expose it in plain text.
- Never returns the key to the browser after saving — you should see only the last few characters.
- Never sends your key to any other user, or to anywhere but the provider it's for.
- Lets you delete it instantly, and treats delete as gone, not archived.
If a tool shows you your full key again after saving, or is vague about where it's stored, treat that as a warning.
How Bizwax handles it
On Bizwax.ai, provider keys are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before they're stored and are never returned to the browser — you see the last four characters and nothing more. A key is used only for your own runs, against the provider it belongs to, and you can delete it at any time. Bring-your-own-key is the cheapest way to run tools, but only worth doing on a tool that handles the key like the credential it is.
Try it on your own keys
Bizwax.ai is in closed beta. Request access and we'll email you when you're in.
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