What are the best practices to secure sensitive environment variables in a public GitHub repository?

[Suhebdevtechnosys]

How can I keep passwords, API keys, and other secret information safe when my code is on a public GitHub repository?

[krishparmar22242]

Keeping your secrets safe in a public repository is one of the most important skills for any developer. Since anyone can see your code, you have to ensure that your API keys and passwords never actually touch your repository's history.

Here is the "Gold Standard" workflow for securing sensitive data in a public GitHub project:

1. Use GitHub Secrets (For GitHub Actions)
   If your code needs an API key to run a test or deploy your app, never hard-code it.
   Go to your repository Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions.
   Click New repository secret and add your key here (e.g., STRIPE_API_KEY).
   In your code, access it as an environment variable (e.g., process.env.STRIPE_API_KEY in Node.js).
   Why: These are encrypted and will never be visible to the public, even if your repo is open.

2. The .gitignore Essential
   For local development, you likely use a .env file to store your keys.
   The Rule: Always add .env to your .gitignore file before your first commit.
   Pro-Tip: Create a file called .env.example that contains the names of the variables but not the values. Commit this to GitHub so other developers know which keys they need to provide on their own.

3. Use GitHub Environments
   If you have different keys for "Testing" and "Production," use Environments (Settings > Environments).
   This allows you to protection specific secrets and even require a manual approval before a secret is used in a deployment. This adds an extra layer of human review before sensitive data is accessed.

4. Enable Secret Scanning
   GitHub has a built-in feature called Secret Scanning.
   Go to Settings > Code security and analysis and ensure "Secret scanning" is enabled.
   GitHub will automatically scan your commits for known secret formats (like AWS or Google Cloud keys). If you accidentally push a key, GitHub will alert you immediately and, in many cases, notify the service provider to revoke the key for you.

5. What to do if you leak a secret
   If you accidentally commit a password to a public repo, don't just delete it in a new commit. The secret is still in your Git history.
   Step 1: Revoke/Rotate the key immediately. Assume it has already been stolen.
   Step 2: Use a tool like BFG Repo-Cleaner or GitHub's filter-repo to completely scrub the secret from your entire Git history.

If this checklist helps you secure your project, please consider marking this as the accepted answer so it can help other developers protect their data too!