Credentials
Credentials in Sidekick Studio are secure configurations that allow you to authenticate and connect to external services and APIs. They are a crucial component for building integrations with various platforms.
What are Credentials?​
Credentials are encrypted configurations that store authentication information such as:
- API keys
- Access tokens
- Usernames and passwords
- Connection strings
- OAuth tokens
Each credential type is designed for a specific service or platform and contains the exact fields required to authenticate with that service.
How Credentials are Used in Nodes​
Nodes in Sidekick Studio are the building blocks of your workflows (chatflows and agentflows). Many nodes require authentication to external services, which is where credentials come in:
- Selection: When configuring a node that requires authentication, you'll see a "Credential" dropdown field.
- Reusability: Once created, credentials can be reused across multiple nodes and workflows.
- Abstraction: Credentials abstract away authentication details, allowing you to focus on building your logic.
- Security: Credential values are encrypted and securely stored, never exposed in the UI or exported configurations.
Example Node-Credential Relationships​
- LLM nodes (like OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) use their respective API credentials to authenticate with AI services
- Vector Database nodes (like Pinecone, Chroma, etc.) use database credentials to store and retrieve vector data
- Search nodes (like Google Search, Brave Search, etc.) use search API credentials to perform web searches
- Integration nodes (like Slack, Notion, etc.) use platform-specific credentials to interact with these services
Credential Security​
Credentials in Sidekick Studio are:
- Encrypted: All sensitive data is encrypted at rest
- Never exposed: Sensitive values are never returned to the frontend or included in exports
- Properly scoped: Credentials are only accessible to workflows that specifically reference them
Managing Credentials​
You can manage credentials in Sidekick Studio through the Credentials panel:
- Create: Add new credentials for any supported service
- Test: Verify that credentials are valid before using them in workflows
- Update: Modify existing credentials if tokens or passwords change
- Delete: Remove credentials that are no longer needed
Available Credential Types​
Sidekick Studio supports a wide range of credential types across various categories:
- AI Services: OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI, etc.
- Databases: MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, etc.
- Vector Stores: Pinecone, Chroma, Weaviate, etc.
- Search Services: Google Search, Brave Search, etc.
- Content Services: Notion, Confluence, GitHub, etc.
- Utility Services: AWS, Langsmith, Langfuse, etc.
For a complete reference of all available credential types and their configuration details, see the API Credentials Reference.
Best Practices​
- Create separate credentials for development and production environments
- Regularly rotate API keys and tokens for security
- Use the minimum required permissions when generating API keys
- Test credentials before using them in production workflows
- Use environment variables for credential values when possible