Reading Secrets Straight From the Browser: The NEXT_PUBLIC_ Trap

📰 Medium · JavaScript

Learn how to avoid exposing secret API keys in your JavaScript bundle and protect your application's security

intermediate Published 18 Apr 2026

Action Steps

Check your code for exposed API keys using the NEXT_PUBLIC_ environment variable
Use a secrets manager to securely store and retrieve API keys
Configure your build process to exclude secret keys from the JavaScript bundle
Test your application to ensure secret keys are not exposed
Use environment variables to store sensitive data and keep it separate from your codebase

Who Needs to Know This

Developers and security teams can benefit from understanding the risks of exposing secret API keys and how to mitigate them

Key Insight

💡 Using the NEXT_PUBLIC_ environment variable can inadvertently expose secret API keys to users