A few years ago, I built a static website to showcase my portfolio and added a weather API integration (because I love cycling and hate getting wet 🚴♂️).
Everything worked great... until my cybersecurity training revealed something alarming: my API token was publicly accessible in my JavaScript code. 😱
The Problem
Static sites can't keep secrets. Any API key in your client-side code is visible to anyone who opens the developer console.
I needed a solution. Fast.
My Solution Journey
I explored three different approaches:
- ❌ Custom backend - Didn't want extra hosting costs
- ❌ Netlify Functions - Required hosting entire site on Netlify
- ✅ WordPress REST API - Already had it running on my server!
The Surprising Winner
Turns out, WordPress isn't just for blogging. It can act as a secure API proxy for your static sites, keeping your API keys safe on the server side.
And the implementation? Surprisingly simple.
What I Learned
Through this journey, I discovered:
- Why static sites fundamentally can't hide secrets
- How to use WordPress as a lightweight backend
- Adding caching and rate limiting for optimization
- When to consider alternative solutions
Read the Full Story
I've written a complete guide with step-by-step implementation, code examples, and security best practices.
Top comments (0)