Set up Keyshade with Node.js

How to set up Keyshade in a Node.js app for secure runtime secrets — no more .env files.

Keyshade securely manages your environment variables and secrets — no more .env files, and nothing sensitive committed to your repo.

This guide will walk you through setting up Keyshade in a Node.js app, step by step.

Prefer to dive straight into code? Jump to Running Your App

Coming Up

Here's what this guide covers:

• Create a Node.js app

• Install the Keyshade CLI

• Set up a profile using your API key

• Create a project and environment in the Keyshade dashboard

• Add secrets and runtime variables

• Link your local project with keyshade init

• Run your app with keyshade run

• Use process.env to access values in your Node.js code

💡 New to Keyshade? Start with What is Keyshade? to get a quick overview of how it works.

Create a Node.js Project

If you don't already have a Node.js app, create one:

mkdir <your-app-name>
cd <your-app-name>
npm init -y

For TypeScript projects, add the necessary dependencies:

npm install --save-dev typescript @types/node ts-node
npx tsc --init

Need more help with Node.js project setup? Check out the official Node.js documentation.

Install the Keyshade CLI

The Keyshade CLI lets you fetch secrets, inject env variables, and manage profiles all from your terminal.

Install it globally:

npm install -g @keyshade/cli

Note: Node.js v24 may cause issues with the Keyshade CLI, so use v20 (LTS) for best compatibility.

See Installing the CLI for more info.

Set Up Your Profile

To connect your local environment with Keyshade, create or use a profile.

If this is your first time using Keyshade, follow this guide to set up your profile.

If you've already used Keyshade before:

keyshade profile use <your-profile-name>

You can verify which profile is active with:

keyshade workspace list

Create a Project and Add Secrets

To get started:

1. Go to the Keyshade Dashboard

2. Click "Create Project"

3. Name your project (e.g. nodejs-app)

4. Inside the project, click the "Secrets" tab

5. Add your secrets (e.g. API_KEY, DATABASE_URL)

6. Add your variables (e.g. PORT)

💡 Secrets vs Variables:

• Secrets are sensitive values — like API keys or access tokens — and are encrypted for security.

• Variables are non-sensitive settings — like ports, feature flags, or toggles — and are stored as plain values, not encrypted.

Need help with projects and secrets? See Managing Secrets & Variables

Initialize Keyshade in Your Project

In order to use the configurations you just created on the dashboard, you would need to initialize keyshade in your project. This generates the necessary configurations for the CLI to tap into your keyshade project.

From your project root:

cd <your-app-name>

Run the init command to link your local project with the Keyshade dashboard:

keyshade init

You'll be guided through selecting your workspace, project, and environment.

Want to skip the prompts?

keyshade init --workspace-slug <my-workspace> --project-slug <my-project> --environment-slug <my-environment> --private-key <my-private-key>

This will generate a keyshade.json file in your project root.

More on this in the CLI Reference

Run Your App with Secure Env Injection

Start your Node.js app with Keyshade:

For JavaScript:

keyshade run -- node index.js

For TypeScript:

keyshade run -- ts-node index.ts

Or if you have npm scripts defined in package.json:

keyshade run -- npm start

Example output:

Node.js Run

Keyshade will inject your secrets and variables securely at runtime.

Access Secrets and Variables in Your Code

Once your app is running with keyshade run, use process.env to access any injected values — no extra setup needed.

For example, if you added a secret named DATABASE_URL and a variable named PORT in the Keyshade dashboard:

In JavaScript:

const dbUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;

In TypeScript:

const dbUrl: string | undefined = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
const port: number = parseInt(process.env.PORT || '3000');

Example Node.js Server

Create a simple Express server in index.js:

Express server in JS

Now run it with keyshade run -- node index.js and you'll see your server start with all secrets securely injected.

Visit http://localhost:3000 to confirm your secrets are being injected properly. See below for reference:

Express Server Output

You're All Set 🚀

Your Node.js app is now securely powered by Keyshade — no .env files, no leaking secrets, and no environment mismatches.