Adding Simple Authentication to Your Streamlit App

In today’s blog, I’m diving into a crucial aspect of app development — authentication. It’s essential to ensure that only authorized users can access certain features or sensitive information within your Streamlit app. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process of adding simple authentication to your Streamlit app using API keys.

Why Authentication Matters in Streamlit Apps?
Imagine you’re building an app that allows users to upload and analyze sensitive data. Without proper authentication, anyone could access this data, potentially leading to privacy breaches or unauthorized usage. Authentication ensures that only authenticated users with the correct credentials can access specific features or data, enhancing security and user trust.

Overview of Simple Authentication Methods
When it comes to Streamlit apps, implementing authentication doesn’t have to be complicated. One simple approach is API key authentication. Users provide an API key, and the app verifies it to grant access. It’s straightforward, effective, and ensures only authorized users can interact with your app.

Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing API Key Authentication:

Step 1: Setting Up Environment Variables:
First things first, let’s ensure our API key is securely stored. We’ll use environment variables to store sensitive information like API keys. Here’s how you can do it:

import os

API_KEY = os.environ.get("YOUR_API_KEY")
if API_KEY is None:
    raise ValueError("API key is not set. Please set the API key in your environment variables.")

Step 2: Creating the Streamlit App Skeleton:
Next, let’s set up the basic structure of our Streamlit app. Here’s a simple example:

import streamlit as st

# Your Streamlit app code here

Step 3: Adding Authentication Logic:
Now comes the crucial part — adding authentication logic to our Streamlit app. We’ll create a function to authenticate the API key provided by the user.

def authenticate_api_key(api_key):
    if api_key != API_KEY:
        return False
    return True

api_key = st.text_input("Enter API Key:", type="password")
if not authenticate_api_key(api_key):
    st.error("Invalid API key. Access denied.")
    st.stop()

Step 4: Testing the Authentication:
Before we call it a day, let’s test our authentication mechanism to ensure it’s working as expected. Run your Streamlit app and provide the API key when prompted.

streamlit run your_app.py

Example Implementation: To tie it all together, here’s a complete example demonstrating API key authentication in a Streamlit app:

import os
import streamlit as st

API_KEY = os.environ.get("YOUR_API_KEY")
if API_KEY is None:
    raise ValueError("API key is not set. Please set the API key in your environment variables.")

def authenticate_api_key(api_key):
    if api_key != API_KEY:
        return False
    return True

def main():
    st.title("Your Streamlit App")

    api_key = st.text_input("Enter API Key:", type="password")
    if not authenticate_api_key(api_key):
        st.error("Invalid API key. Access denied.")
        st.stop()

    # Your Streamlit app content here

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Conclusion
Adding authentication to your Streamlit app doesn’t have to be daunting. By following these simple steps, you can enhance security and ensure only authorized users can access your app’s features or data. Strengthen your Streamlit app today with simple authentication!

Additional Tips and Resources
Looking for more ways to enhance authentication security in your Streamlit app? Check out the Streamlit documentation and community forums for valuable tips and best practices.