Discontinuation of HubSpot API Keys

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HubSpot is a popular and trusted CRM for many businesses and assists them in their day-to-day operations. What makes HubSpot more extensive is its ability to integrate with numerous platforms for the establishment of connection and data flow. 

However, HubSpot has announced the discontinuation of public API keys from its platform from November 30, 2022. Although it may seem like bad news, it has several elements attached to it which help in better comprehension. This article discusses all you need to know about this change and how you can adapt to it.

What's Changing in HubSpot?

Currently, HubSpot allows three methods for the establishment of integration. These methods are responsible for the authentication to allow the input and output of data. The authentication methodologies include API keys, OAuth, and Private apps. 

So, if you have any standard applications installed with HubSpot, they will suffer no change with this update. However, the custom integrations that are dependent on API keys will no longer be functioning with the API calls. Instead, HubSpot has announced the usage of private apps for this purpose. 

The users are not allowed to create API keys from July 15, 2022, and the previously created keys will function up till November 30, 2022. Afterwards, any API call will simply return an error.

Three Important Considerations

Let's explore three important elements attached to this announcement for gaining a better understanding:

  • The Reason for the Update

The update is made to provide better security to HubSpot users. The API keys are an integral component in custom integrations but can pose serious consequences from a security point of view as the user who has your API key can access the information, without an additional authorization layer. Private apps are introduced as a solution in place of API keys, which are a more secure option.

  • Private Apps vs API Keys

In technical terms, the Private Apps hold the static access token in the Authorization HTTP header. Whereas, the API keys are used in the query parameters for the authorization of API requests.

In other words, the API key is a single authentication key that any individual or App can use to establish a connection with HubSpot. On the other hand, Private Apps allow the creation of a separate authentication key for each individual or integration.

This difference makes the private apps a more secure option than the API keys, as mentioned before.

  • Public Apps

If your integration is set up to be used by multiple HubSpot accounts, public apps are the right option to update. Generally speaking, there isn't any difference between the functioning of public and private apps. What makes them different is the use cases they are appropriate for and the features they hold.

For instance, features like webhooks API can be accessed after the creation of the public app. You can study more about making the right choice between private and public apps on this link

What Can Be Affected With This HubSpot Update?

Now that you know that the particular update is on the way, not taking the necessary actions can affect your business’s day-to-day operations. Not working towards the shifting of your business operations from API keys to private apps from now on can leave this all for the last minute. This can hinder your efforts to improve business operations.

And, getting all this done in the end will not save you the time for testing, leading to loss of data, and under some conditions, even pose security risks.

What’s the Solution?

If all those scenarios seem overwhelming, it's understandable. However, there is a solution, and that's to start working on the migration of business operations and data to private apps as soon as possible. This way, you can work on this process with ease of mind and gain time to test the systems to be functioning properly.

If you are wondering, how to create custom private apps, don't worry, we have got you covered in part 2 of this article. Navigate to the second part of this article to get a step-by-step procedure for creating private apps.

Side note: Our team is here for you. If you require any help in understanding the procedure of converting your integration to private apps or understanding the workflow, feel free to reach out to us by booking a complimentary assessment here.