Understanding

How It Works

Three steps. That's all.

01. Install

Install both the KeyDrop CLI and SDK.

npm install keydrop
npm install -g keydrop-cli
  • The CLI handles secret management and build-time injection.
  • The SDK handles runtime secret loading.

02. Push

Upload your existing .env file.

keydrop login
keydrop push

Before

DATABASE_URL=...
JWT_SECRET=...
OPENAI_API_KEY=...
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=...

After

KEYDROP_KEY=proj_xxxxxxxxx

Your secrets are securely stored and replaced with a single project key.

03. Run

Use KeyDrop to inject secrets during development and builds.

Development

keydrop run -- npm run dev

Build

keydrop run -- next build

Runtime

app startuptypescript
import { init } from "keydrop";

await init();

Secrets are automatically loaded into process.env.

What Happens Behind The Scenes

Your .env
↓
keydrop push
↓
Secrets stored securely
↓
KEYDROP_KEY generated
↓
Deployment receives KEYDROP_KEY
↓
keydrop run injects build-time secrets
↓
init() loads runtime secrets
↓
Application runs normally

What Has Been Verified

  • ✓keydrop push
  • ✓keydrop pull
  • ✓keydrop run
  • ✓Runtime secret injection
  • ✓Build-time secret injection
  • ✓Next.js
  • ✓Vercel
  • ✓NEXT_PUBLIC variables
  • ✓Single KEYDROP_KEY deployment workflow
← IntroductionQuick Start →