Secrets Gradle plugin

Page Summary

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• Securely store your API keys outside of version control using the Secrets Gradle Plugin for Android.

• The plugin reads API keys from a local secrets.properties file and makes them accessible within your Android project.

• You need to install the plugin, configure it in your Gradle files, and create the necessary properties files (secrets.properties and local.defaults.properties).

• This approach ensures your sensitive API keys are not exposed in your code repository, enhancing security.

Google strongly recommends that you not check an API key into your version control system. Instead, you should store it in a local secrets.properties file, which is located in the root directory of your project but excluded from version control, and then use the Secrets Gradle Plugin for Android to read the API key.

The Secrets Gradle Plugin for Android reads secrets, including the API key, from a properties file not checked into a version control system. The plugin then exposes those properties as variables in the Gradle-generated BuildConfig class and in the Android manifest file.

For a complete example of using the Secrets Gradle Plugin for Android to access an API key, see Set up an Android Studio project.

Installation and usage

To install the Secrets Gradle Plugin for Android and store your API key:

1. In Android Studio, open your root-level build.gradle file and add the following code to the dependencies element under buildscript.

   Groovy

   buildscript {
       dependencies {
           // ...
           classpath "com.google.android.libraries.mapsplatform.secrets-gradle-plugin:secrets-gradle-plugin:2.0.1"
       }
   }

   Kotlin

   buildscript {
       dependencies {
           // ...
           classpath("com.google.android.libraries.mapsplatform.secrets-gradle-plugin:secrets-gradle-plugin:2.0.1")
       }
   }

2. Open your app-level build.gradle file and add the following code to the plugins element.

   Groovy

   plugins {
       id 'com.android.application'
       // ...
       id 'com.google.android.libraries.mapsplatform.secrets-gradle-plugin'
   }

   Kotlin

   plugins {
       id("com.android.application")
       // ...
       id("com.google.android.libraries.mapsplatform.secrets-gradle-plugin")
   }

3. If you use Android Studio, sync your project with Gradle.
4. Open the local.properties in your project level directory, and then add the following code. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your API key.

   PLACES_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY

What's next

• View the Secrets Gradle Plugin for Android GitHub project page.
• View Set up an Android Studio project for a complete example of using the plugin.