Protect your Firebase ML Android app's Cloud credentials
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If your Android app uses one of Firebase ML's cloud APIs, before you launch your
app in production, you should take some additional steps to prevent
unauthorized API access.
For your production apps, you will ensure that only authenticated clients can
access cloud services. (Note that only non-rooted devices can authenticate using
the method described.)
Then, you will create a debug-only API key that you can use for convenience
during testing and development.
1. Register your production apps with Firebase
First, register your production apps with Firebase.
Go to your settingsProject settings in the Firebase console, then select the Settings
tab.
Scroll down to the Your apps card, then select your Android app.
Add your app's SHA-1 signature to your app's information.
2. Restrict the scope of your API keys
Next, configure your existing API keys to disallow access to the Cloud Vision
API:
Open the Credentials page of the
Google Cloud console. When prompted, select your project.
For each existing API key in the list, open the editing view.
In the API restrictions section, select Restrict key, then add to the
list all of the APIs to which you want the API key to have access. Make sure
to not include the Cloud Vision API.
When you configure an API key's API restrictions, you are explicitly
declaring the APIs to which the key has access. By default, when the API
restrictions section has Don't restrict key selected, an API key can be
used to access any API that is enabled for the project.
Now, your existing API keys will not grant access to cloud ML services, but each
key will continue to work for any APIs that you added to its API restrictions
list.
Note that if you enable any additional APIs in the future, you must add them to
the API restrictions list for the applicable API key.
3. Create and use a debug-only API key
Finally, create a new API key to be used only for development. Firebase ML can
use this API key to access Google Cloud services in environments where app
authentication isn't possible, such as when running on emulators.
Create a new API key to be used for development:
Open the Credentials page of the
Google Cloud console. When prompted, select your project.
Click Create credentials > API key and take note of the new API
key. This key allows API access from unauthenticated apps, so
keep this key confidential.
To ensure the new debug API key is not leaked with your released app,
specify the debug API key in an Android manifest file used only for debug
builds:
If you don't already have a debug manifest, create one by clicking
File > New > Other > Android Manifest File and selecting debug
from the target source sets.
In the debug manifest, add the following declaration:
In your app, configure Firebase ML to use certificate fingerprint matching to
authenticate your client in production and to use API keys—the debug
key—only in debug builds:
Kotlin
valoptionsBuilder=FirebaseVisionCloudImageLabelerOptions.Builder()if(!BuildConfig.DEBUG){// Requires physical, non-rooted device:optionsBuilder.enforceCertFingerprintMatch()}// Set other options. For example:optionsBuilder.setConfidenceThreshold(0.8f)// ...// And lastly:valoptions=optionsBuilder.build()FirebaseVision.getInstance().getCloudImageLabeler(options).processImage(myImage)
FirebaseVisionCloudImageLabelerOptions.BuilderoptionsBuilder=newFirebaseVisionCloudImageLabelerOptions.Builder();if(!BuildConfig.DEBUG){// Requires physical, non-rooted device:optionsBuilder.enforceCertFingerprintMatch();}// Set other options. For example:optionsBuilder.setConfidenceThreshold(0.8f);// ...// And lastly:FirebaseVisionCloudImageLabelerOptionsoptions=optionsBuilder.build();FirebaseVision.getInstance().getCloudImageLabeler(options).processImage(myImage);
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-15 UTC."],[],[],null,["\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nIf your Android app uses one of Firebase ML's cloud APIs, before you launch your\napp in production, you should take some additional steps to prevent\nunauthorized API access.\n\nFor your production apps, you will ensure that only authenticated clients can\naccess cloud services. (Note that only non-rooted devices can authenticate using\nthe method described.)\n\nThen, you will create a debug-only API key that you can use for convenience\nduring testing and development.\n\n1. Register your production apps with Firebase\n\nFirst, register your production apps with Firebase.\n\n1. Make sure that you have your app's SHA-1 signatures. Refer to\n [Authenticating your client](//developers.google.com/android/guides/client-auth)\n to learn how.\n\n2. Go to your settings\n *Project settings* in the Firebase console, then select the *Settings*\n tab.\n\n3. Scroll down to the *Your apps* card, then select your Android app.\n\n4. Add your app's SHA-1 signature to your app's information.\n\n2. Restrict the scope of your API keys\n\nNext, configure your existing API keys to disallow access to the Cloud Vision\nAPI:\n\n1. Open the [Credentials](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials?project=_) page of the\n Google Cloud console. When prompted, select your project.\n\n2. For each existing API key in the list, open the editing view.\n\n3. In the *API restrictions* section, select **Restrict key** , then add to the\n list all of the APIs to which you want the API key to have access. Make sure\n to ***not*** include the Cloud Vision API.\n\n When you configure an API key's *API restrictions* , you are explicitly\n declaring the APIs to which the key has access. **By default, when the *API\n restrictions* section has *Don't restrict key* selected, an API key can be\n used to access any API that is enabled for the project.**\n\nNow, your existing API keys will not grant access to cloud ML services, but each\nkey will continue to work for any APIs that you added to its *API restrictions*\nlist.\n\nNote that if you enable any additional APIs in the future, you must add them to\nthe *API restrictions* list for the applicable API key.\n\n3. Create and use a debug-only API key\n\nFinally, create a new API key to be used only for development. Firebase ML can\nuse this API key to access Google Cloud services in environments where app\nauthentication isn't possible, such as when running on emulators.\n\n1. Create a new API key to be used for development:\n\n 1. Open the [Credentials](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials?project=_) page of the\n Google Cloud console. When prompted, select your project.\n\n 2. Click **Create credentials \\\u003e API key** and take note of the new API\n key. This key allows API access from unauthenticated apps, so\n **keep this key confidential**.\n\n2. To ensure the new debug API key is not leaked with your released app,\n specify the debug API key in an Android manifest file used only for debug\n builds:\n\n 1. If you don't already have a debug manifest, create one by clicking\n **File \\\u003e New \\\u003e Other \\\u003e Android Manifest File** and selecting `debug`\n from the target source sets.\n\n 2. In the debug manifest, add the following declaration:\n\n ```text\n \u003capplication\u003e\n \u003cmeta-data\n android:name=\"com.firebase.ml.cloud.ApiKeyForDebug\"\n android:value=\"your-debug-api-key\" /\u003e\n \u003c/application\u003e\n ```\n3. In your app, configure Firebase ML to use certificate fingerprint matching to\n authenticate your client in production and to use API keys---the debug\n key---only in debug builds:\n\n Kotlin \n\n ```kotlin\n val optionsBuilder = FirebaseVisionCloudImageLabelerOptions.Builder()\n if (!BuildConfig.DEBUG) {\n // Requires physical, non-rooted device:\n optionsBuilder.enforceCertFingerprintMatch()\n }\n\n // Set other options. For example:\n optionsBuilder.setConfidenceThreshold(0.8f)\n // ...\n\n // And lastly:\n val options = optionsBuilder.build()\n FirebaseVision.getInstance().getCloudImageLabeler(options).processImage(myImage)https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/391c1646eacf44d2aab3f76bcfa60dfc6c14acf1/mlkit/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/example/mlkit/kotlin/MainActivity.kt#L30-L42\n ```\n\n Java \n\n ```java\n FirebaseVisionCloudImageLabelerOptions.Builder optionsBuilder =\n new FirebaseVisionCloudImageLabelerOptions.Builder();\n if (!BuildConfig.DEBUG) {\n // Requires physical, non-rooted device:\n optionsBuilder.enforceCertFingerprintMatch();\n }\n\n // Set other options. For example:\n optionsBuilder.setConfidenceThreshold(0.8f);\n // ...\n\n // And lastly:\n FirebaseVisionCloudImageLabelerOptions options = optionsBuilder.build();\n FirebaseVision.getInstance().getCloudImageLabeler(options).processImage(myImage);https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/391c1646eacf44d2aab3f76bcfa60dfc6c14acf1/mlkit/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/example/mlkit/MainActivity.java#L30-L43\n ```\n\nNext steps\n\nSee the [launch checklist](/support/guides/launch-checklist) for information on\npreparing your app to launch when using other Firebase features."]]