| name | vastai-security-basics |
|---|
| description | Apply Vast.ai security best practices for secrets and access control.
Use when securing API keys, implementing least privilege access,
or auditing Vast.ai security configuration.
Trigger with phrases like "vastai security", "vastai secrets",
"secure vastai", "vastai API key security".
|
|---|
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Grep |
|---|
| version | 1.0.0 |
|---|
| license | MIT |
|---|
| author | Jeremy Longshore <[email protected]> |
|---|
Vast.ai Security Basics
Overview
Security best practices for Vast.ai API keys, tokens, and access control.
Prerequisites
- Vast.ai SDK installed
- Understanding of environment variables
- Access to Vast.ai dashboard
Instructions
Step 1: Configure Environment Variables
# .env (NEVER commit to git)
VASTAI_API_KEY=sk_live_***
VASTAI_SECRET=***
# .gitignore
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
Step 2: Implement Secret Rotation
# 1. Generate new key in Vast.ai dashboard
# 2. Update environment variable
export VASTAI_API_KEY="new_key_here"
# 3. Verify new key works
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VASTAI_API_KEY}" \
https://api.vastai.com/health
# 4. Revoke old key in dashboard
Step 3: Apply Least Privilege
| Environment |
Recommended Scopes |
| Development |
read:* |
| Staging |
read:*, write:limited |
| Production |
Only required scopes |
Output
- Secure API key storage
- Environment-specific access controls
- Audit logging enabled
Error Handling
| Security Issue |
Detection |
Mitigation |
| Exposed API key |
Git scanning |
Rotate immediately |
| Excessive scopes |
Audit logs |
Reduce permissions |
| Missing rotation |
Key age check |
Schedule rotation |
Examples
Service Account Pattern
const clients = {
reader: new Vast.aiClient({
apiKey: process.env.VASTAI_READ_KEY,
}),
writer: new Vast.aiClient({
apiKey: process.env.VASTAI_WRITE_KEY,
}),
};
Webhook Signature Verification
import crypto from 'crypto';
function verifyWebhookSignature(
payload: string, signature: string, secret: string
): boolean {
const expected = crypto.createHmac('sha256', secret).update(payload).digest('hex');
return crypto.timingSafeEqual(Buffer.from(signature), Buffer.from(expected));
}
Security Checklist
- [ ] API keys in environment variables
- [ ]
.env files in .gitignore
- [ ] Different keys for dev/staging/prod
- [ ] Minimal scopes per environment
- [ ] Webhook signatures validated
- [ ] Audit logging enabled
Audit Logging
interface AuditEntry {
timestamp: Date;
action: string;
userId: string;
resource: string;
result: 'success' | 'failure';
metadata?: Record<string, any>;
}
async function auditLog(entry: Omit<AuditEntry, 'timestamp'>): Promise<void> {
const log: AuditEntry = { ...entry, timestamp: new Date() };
// Log to Vast.ai analytics
await vastaiClient.track('audit', log);
// Also log locally for compliance
console.log('[AUDIT]', JSON.stringify(log));
}
// Usage
await auditLog({
action: 'vastai.api.call',
userId: currentUser.id,
resource: '/v1/resource',
result: 'success',
});
Resources
Next Steps
For production deployment, see vastai-prod-checklist.