CODEWITHSUNDEEP
twittertwitter-oauthdesktop-application
Yiannis Kakavas
Yiannis Kakavas

Reputation: 587

What is the standard way to handle twitter API keys in GPL'd desktop applications?

While developing an desktop application that needs to access twitter API , one must somehow pass the API key (application specific consumer key and consumer secret ) for the application to the user. Twitter's API TOS states that the application's API key cannot be publicly available and if that happens, they reset it. When that application is under GPL , meaning the developer needs to provide the source code to the user, how that user would be able to obtain the API key without it being publicly available ? Is there a standard way to handle this issue ? Thanks.

Edit: To clarify the situation, I was storing them in plain text in my code for cree.py so far as a conscious decision. But yesterday Twitter support team contacted me that they have reseted my key and their reasoning was the following :

C. You should not solicit another developer's consumer keys or consumer secrets especially if they will be stored or used for actions outside of that developer's control. Keys and secrets that are compromised will be reset by Twitter. For example, online services that ask for these values in order to provide a "tweet-branding" service are not allowed. https://dev.twitter.com/terms/api-terms If an application's keys are posted publicly, it allows for external parties to hijack the application's API access. This presents an enormous abuse risk, and as such we've reset your API keys. Please take care to ensure that these keys are not posted publicly again.

Thanks, Twitter API Policy

Upvotes: 5

Views: 642

Answers (3)

konfiot
konfiot

Reputation: 1

Maybe another solution would be to use a server, the server interacts with the twitter api, and the you request information to your server with your desktop application

Like that, the API key is only stored on the server, and not any user can get it.

Upvotes: 0

reiniero
reiniero

Reputation: 428

I might be dense here, but why don't you store them in a configuration file, the Windows registry etc and get them from there? Then distribute the application without the file, and you're done.

Upvotes: 1

SamB
SamB

Reputation: 9224

Well, TTYtter evidently uses the honour system:

# yes, this is plaintext. obfuscation would be ludicrously easy to crack,
# and there is no way to hide them effectively or fully in a Perl script.
# so be a good neighbour and leave this the fark alone, okay? stealing
# credentials is mean and inconvenient to users. this is blessed by
# arrangement with Twitter. don't be a d*ck. thanks for your cooperation.
$oauthkey = (!length($oauthkey) || $oauthkey eq 'X') ?
        "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" : $oauthkey;
$oauthsecret = (!length($oauthsecret) || $oauthsecret eq 'X') ?
        "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" : $oauthsecret;

(I have replaced the actual keys with Xs, to make it a little less likely that anyone will go to the trouble to abuse them, but rest assured that they are present in full in the actual source!)

Also, I don't see anything in the Rules of the Road actually requiring you to keep these things secret: the closest thing I see is the statement "Keys and secrets that are compromised will be reset by Twitter."; they never actually say what "compromised" means, though.

Upvotes: 1

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