API Key Setup Guide

This guide explains how to create and configure API keys for use with the Google Sheets Rate Assistant. The application expects an apiKeys array in config.json (even a single key should be provided as a single-element array).

Overview

The app supports using API keys instead of a service account by providing an apiKeys array in config.json.
Each entry in apiKeys may be a string (the key) or an object with { key, rateLimitPerMinute }.

Create an API key

Go to the Google Cloud Console: https://console.cloud.google.com/
Select or create a project.
Enable the Google Sheets API (and Drive API if you need it) under "APIs & Services > Library".
Go to "APIs & Services > Credentials" and click Create credentials > API key. Copy the key value.

Secure the key

Click Restrict key on the credentials page and set:
- Application restrictions (IP addresses or HTTP referrers) where possible.
- API restrictions: select Google Sheets API only.
Do not leave keys unrestricted in production.

Example `config.json` snippet

To configure one key:

{
  "apiKeys": [
    "YOUR_API_KEY_1"
  ]
}

To configure multiple keys with per-key rate limits:

{
  "apiKeys": [
    { "key": "API_KEY_1", "rateLimitPerMinute": 60 },
    { "key": "API_KEY_2", "rateLimitPerMinute": 30 }
  ]
}

The app will round-robin requests across configured keys and respect rateLimitPerMinute values.

Storing keys safely

Do not commit config.json with keys to version control. Add config.json to .gitignore.
Alternatively, keep a config.json.example in the repo and place the real keys in a local config.json.
If you prefer to use environment variables, you can have a small loader script that reads an env var and writes config.json before running the app.

Troubleshooting

If you get quota or 403 errors, check API restrictions, project quotas, and whether the key is restricted to the wrong IP/referrer.
Use multiple keys to spread requests if you hit per-key quotas.

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