Groq security basics

Groq Security Basics

Overview

Security practices for Groq API keys and data flowing through Groq's inference API. Groq uses a single API key type (gsk_ prefix) with full access -- there are no scoped tokens -- so key management and rotation are critical.

This skill walks through six hardening steps end to end. The essentials live here; deep code and full command sequences are extracted into references/ for progressive disclosure:

• references/implementation.md — server-side proxy pattern, prompt-injection defense, audit logging (TypeScript).
• references/examples.md — copy-ready key-storage, rotation, and git-leak-prevention commands.

Prerequisites

• Groq account at console.groq.com
• Understanding of environment variable management
• Secret management solution for production (Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, etc.)

Key Security Facts

• Groq API keys start with gsk_ and grant full API access
• There are no read-only or scoped keys -- every key can call every endpoint
• Keys are created at console.groq.com/keys and cannot be viewed after creation
• Rate limits are per-organization, not per-key
• Groq does not store prompt data for training (see privacy policy)

Instructions

Work through the six steps in order. Each summary below is enough to act on; drill into the linked reference for the full code.

Step 1: Secure Key Storage by Environment

Keep the key out of source. Use a .env.local (git-ignored) for development and a platform secret manager (Vercel / AWS / GCP / GitHub Actions) for production. Use Write to create the .env.local and .gitignore entries:

echo "GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_dev_key_here" > .env.local
echo -e ".env\n.env.local\n.env.*.local" >> .gitignore

Full per-platform commands: references/examples.md Example 1.

Step 2: Key Rotation Procedure

Both keys work simultaneously, so rotation is zero-downtime: create a date-named key, deploy it, verify with a 200 from /v1/models, monitor 24h, then delete the old key. Full sequence: references/examples.md Example 2.

Step 3: Git Leak Prevention

Install a pre-commit hook that blocks any staged gsk_ key. Use Read to confirm .gitignore excludes the .env files, then use Grep to sweep the existing tree and history for keys already committed:

grep -rnE "gsk_[a-zA-Z0-9]{20,}" . --exclude-dir=.git

Hook + history-scan commands: references/examples.md Examples 3-4.

Step 4: Server-Side Key Usage Pattern

Never expose the key to client code. Proxy inference through your backend so the key stays server-side, and validate/limit user input before calling Groq. Full Next.js route handler: references/implementation.md § Server-Side Key Usage Pattern.

Step 5: Prompt Injection Defense

Sanitize user input to strip override phrases (ignore previous instructions, you are now, system:) and pair it with a hardened system prompt that refuses role changes. Full code: references/implementation.md § Prompt Injection Defense.

Step 6: Audit Logging

Log every completion with token counts, latency, and status so abuse and cost spikes trace back to a user. Full auditedCompletion implementation: references/implementation.md § Audit Logging.

Output

Applying this skill produces a hardened Groq integration:

• A git-ignored .env.local (dev) and secret-manager entry (prod) — no key in source
• A .git/hooks/pre-commit hook that exits non-zero on any staged gsk_ key
• A documented, tested rotation runbook with date-named keys
• A backend proxy route so the key never reaches the client
• Input sanitization + a hardened system prompt guarding against injection
• Structured audit log entries (GroqAuditEntry) on every completion
• A completed Security Checklist (below) with all items verified

Error Handling

• 401 Unauthorized from /v1/models — the rotated key is wrong or not yet propagated to the secret manager. Re-check the Authorization: Bearer value before deleting the old key.
• Pre-commit hook not firing — confirm the file is executable (chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit); hooks are not copied by git clone, so re-install per checkout.
• Grep finds a key already in history — rotate the key immediately (Step 2); scrubbing history alone is not enough because the key was exposed.
• Client-side GROQ_API_KEY reference — any bundler that inlines the key (e.g. a NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix) leaks it; move the call server-side (Step 4).
• Rate limits hit unexpectedly — limits are per-organization, not per-key, so a leaked key shares your quota; a sudden 429 spike can indicate abuse.

Examples

Lean summaries are in Instructions; full copy-ready code lives in the references:

• Environment-scoped key storage → references/examples.md Example 1
• Zero-downtime rotation → references/examples.md Example 2
• Pre-commit leak hook + history scan → references/examples.md Examples 3-4
• Server-side proxy, injection defense, audit logging → references/implementation.md

Security Checklist

• API key in environment variable, not source code
• .env files in .gitignore
• Pre-commit hook for key leak detection
• Separate keys for dev/staging/prod (different Groq orgs)
• Key rotation documented and tested
• Groq calls proxied through backend (never client-side)
• User input sanitized before sending to Groq
• System prompt hardened against injection
• Audit logging on all completions
• Spending limits set in Groq Console

Resources

• Groq Privacy Policy
• Groq API Keys
• Groq Spend Limits

Next Steps

For production deployment, work through the groq-prod-checklist skill, which covers deployment gates, monitoring, and spend controls beyond this security baseline.