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
Set up a profile using your API key
Create a project and environment in the Keyshade dashboard
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:
Go to the Keyshade Dashboard
Click "Create Project"
Name your project (e.g.
nodejs-app
)Inside the project, click the "Secrets" tab
Add your secrets (e.g.
API_KEY
,DATABASE_URL
)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:

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
:

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:

You're All Set 🚀
Your Node.js app is now securely powered by Keyshade — no .env
files, no leaking secrets, and no environment mismatches.
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