⚠️ For client-side applications, API keys CANNOT be completely hidden.

When you build a React/Vite app, the API key gets bundled into the JavaScript files that are sent to the browser. Anyone can:

• View the page source
• Open browser DevTools → Network tab
• See the API key in the JavaScript bundle

This is unavoidable for front-end-only apps.

This is your real security layer:

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Edit your API key
3. Set Application restrictions → HTTP referrers
4. Add only your domain:

   https://daniyal-rashid-00.github.io/*
   https://your-custom-domain.com/*
   

5. Set API restrictions → Only enable "Generative Language API"

Result: Even if someone steals your API key, it won't work from other domains.

• ✅ Use GitHub Secrets (you're already doing this)
• ✅ Use environment variables
• ❌ Never hardcode the key in your code

• Set up billing alerts in Google Cloud Console
• Monitor API usage regularly
• Set up rate limiting if possible

GitHub Pages: Requires GitHub Pro ($4/month) for private repos

Better Free Alternatives:

• Vercel: Free tier supports private repos ✅
• Netlify: Free tier supports private repos ✅
• Cloudflare Pages: Free tier supports private repos ✅

1. Push your code to GitHub (can be private)
2. Go to vercel.com
3. Import your private repository
4. Add environment variable: VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY
5. Deploy!

Benefits:

• ✅ Free
• ✅ Supports private repos
• ✅ Automatic deployments
• ✅ Custom domains
• ✅ Better performance (CDN)

• Cost: $4/month
• Allows private repos with GitHub Pages
• Other GitHub features included

This is actually fine because:

• ✅ Your API key is in GitHub Secrets (not in source code)
• ✅ API key restrictions protect you
• ✅ The key would be visible in the deployed bundle anyway (even with private repo)

1. Keep using GitHub Secrets (you're already doing this ✅)
2. Set up API key restrictions in Google Cloud Console (most important!)
3. Monitor your API usage regularly
4. Consider switching to Vercel if you want private repo + free hosting

Making the repo private won't hide your API key from the deployed site - it will still be visible in the browser. The real security comes from:

1. API key restrictions (domain whitelist)
2. API usage monitoring
3. Not hardcoding keys in source code (use secrets/env vars)

Your current setup with GitHub Secrets is already good! Just make sure API key restrictions are configured properly.