Gamma Security Basics

Overview

Security best practices for Gamma API integration to protect credentials and data.

Prerequisites

• Active Gamma integration
• Environment variable support
• Understanding of secret management

Instructions

Step 1: Secure API Key Storage

// NEVER do this
const gamma = new GammaClient({
  apiKey: 'gamma_live_abc123...', // Hardcoded - BAD!
});

// DO this instead
const gamma = new GammaClient({
  apiKey: process.env.GAMMA_API_KEY,
});

Environment Setup:

# .env (add to .gitignore!)
GAMMA_API_KEY=gamma_live_abc123...

# Load in application
import 'dotenv/config';

Step 2: Key Rotation Strategy

// Support multiple keys for rotation
const gamma = new GammaClient({
  apiKey: process.env.GAMMA_API_KEY_PRIMARY
    || process.env.GAMMA_API_KEY_SECONDARY,
});

// Rotation script
async function rotateApiKey() {
  // 1. Generate new key in Gamma dashboard
  // 2. Update GAMMA_API_KEY_SECONDARY
  // 3. Deploy and verify
  // 4. Swap PRIMARY and SECONDARY
  // 5. Revoke old key
}

Step 3: Request Signing (if supported)

import crypto from 'crypto';

function signRequest(payload: object, secret: string): string {
  const timestamp = Date.now().toString();
  const message = timestamp + JSON.stringify(payload);

  return crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', secret)
    .update(message)
    .digest('hex');
}

// Usage with webhook verification
function verifyWebhook(body: string, signature: string, secret: string): boolean {
  const expected = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', secret)
    .update(body)
    .digest('hex');

  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
    Buffer.from(signature),
    Buffer.from(expected)
  );
}

Step 4: Access Control Patterns

// Scoped API keys (if supported)
const readOnlyGamma = new GammaClient({
  apiKey: process.env.GAMMA_API_KEY_READONLY,
  scopes: ['presentations:read', 'exports:read'],
});

const fullAccessGamma = new GammaClient({
  apiKey: process.env.GAMMA_API_KEY_FULL,
});

// Permission check before operations
async function createPresentation(user: User, data: object) {
  if (!user.permissions.includes('gamma:create')) {
    throw new Error('Insufficient permissions');
  }
  return fullAccessGamma.presentations.create(data);
}

Step 5: Audit Logging

import { GammaClient } from '@gamma/sdk';

function createAuditedClient(userId: string) {
  return new GammaClient({
    apiKey: process.env.GAMMA_API_KEY,
    interceptors: {
      request: (config) => {
        console.log(JSON.stringify({
          timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
          userId,
          action: `${config.method} ${config.path}`,
          type: 'gamma_api_request',
        }));
        return config;
      },
    },
  });
}

Security Checklist

• API keys stored in environment variables
• .env files in .gitignore
• No keys in source code or logs
• Key rotation procedure documented
• Minimal permission scopes used
• Audit logging enabled
• Webhook signatures verified
• HTTPS enforced for all calls

Error Handling

Security Issue	Detection	Remediation
Exposed key	GitHub scanning	Rotate immediately
Key in logs	Log audit	Filter sensitive data
Unauthorized access	Audit logs	Revoke and investigate
Weak permissions	Access review	Apply least privilege

Resources

• Gamma Security Guide
• API Key Management
• OWASP API Security

Next Steps

Proceed to gamma-prod-checklist for production readiness.