Key Vault

Centralize and secure provider API key management. Distribute Helicone proxy keys for simplified access control and enhanced security of your LLM applications.

Who can use this feature: Anyone on Helicone’s Growth, Enterprise and our old Pro plan has access to Key Vault. If you are on a Free plan, upgrade to Growth or contact us.

Introduction

Vault is designed to securely store provider API keys (from OpenAI and future providers). It offers a seamless integration with Helicone proxy keys for enhanced management.

Store your provider keys, then distribute as proxy keys.

Why Key Vault

• Simplified Key Management: Send just one key to Helicone, eliminating the need to manage both a Helicone auth and an OpenAI key.
• Enhanced Security: Distribute Helicone keys, ensuring users interact through our Helicone proxy.
• Prevent Bypass: No need to distribute OpenAI keys directly, which could let users bypass our valuable logging and monitoring.
• Flexible Resource Allocation:
  • For Hackathons: Easily distribute AI credits to participants and implement rate limiting.
  • For Companies: Allocate and control AI usage credits for employees or departments.

Quick Start

Step 1: Store your Provider Keys

1. Go to the Developer tab > Vault > Add Provider Key.
2. Enter your provider key and assign a unique name to it for easy identification.
3. Click Create Provider Key.

Currently, Helicone helps you store OpenAI Provider Key. In the future, we plan to expand to include other providers.

How we encrypt your Provider Key securely?

At Helicone, we use transparent column encryption with the XChaCha20 cryptographic algorithm and nonce support to securely encrypt all keys at rest, ensuring an extra layer of protection.

Step 2: Generate Proxy Keys for Your Team

1. On the same Vault page, click on Create Proxy Key.
2. Create a name, then select your provider key from the dropdown.
3. Click Create Proxy Key.

Generate a proxy key for your provider key.

Helicone will then generate a unique proxy key for you. This proxy key acts as an authorization Bearer token when making requests.

It’s possible to have several proxy keys mapped to one provider key. This flexibility can be especially useful for large teams or segmented projects.

Step 3: Store the Proxy Key Safely

Copy the key and store it somewhere safe. You can now share this key with another team member.

Copy the key the store it somwhere safe.

Ensure you copy and safely store the generated proxy key right away. It uses one-way hashing, meaning if you lose it, you’ll need to generate a new one.

Important Notes

• Other Keys: Currently, you can store OpenAI Provider Keys safely in Helicone. We plan to expand to include future providers.
• Multiple Proxy Keys: It’s possible to have several proxy keys mapped to one provider key. This flexibility can be especially useful for large teams or segmented projects.
• Safekeeping: Ensure you copy and safely store the generated proxy key right away. It uses one-way hashing, meaning if you lose it, you’ll need to generate a new one.
• Performance: There’s a minor increase in latency on requests since Helicone validates the proxy key auth before retrieving the actual provider key. This step ensures enhanced security and proper routing.

Watch the Demo!

For a visual guide on how Vault works, check out our video demo.