Is there a way to not expose credentials in the code?

Question

I've been using ipython notebook and there are 2 information (SNOW_USER and PASSWORD) that I need to pass so I can connect to the database. I don't want to expose it for security reasons.

I tried to set as ENV VAR (environmental variables) saving it on my .bash_profile and also on .profile using export SNOW_USER='abc' but it doesn't seem ipython can find it.

import os
print os.environ['SNOW_USER']

I also tried:

%env

But the variables are not showing there either.

Any thoughts on how to do it?

@PadraicCunningham Yes. I shutdown the notebook and open it afterwards. — lizzie, Apr 06 '16 at 20:09
Try logout. If you open the notebook from your window manager but it hasn't been restarted, you are still using the old environment. — tdelaney, Apr 06 '16 at 20:15
@tdelaney, they have logged out and back in so that should not be the issue no? — Padraic Cunningham, Apr 06 '16 at 20:15
@PadraicCunningham I think OP meant that s/he shut down the IPython Notebook and restarted it, not the notebook computer... — MattDMo, Apr 06 '16 at 20:16
@MattDMo, ah ok, I asked if they had logged out, when I saw yes I presumed they had :) — Padraic Cunningham, Apr 06 '16 at 20:20

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 06 '16 at 20:10

1

Try to create a file .env somewhere with in it :

export SNOW_USER="snow_user"
export PASSWORD="password"

and then source it :

source .env

Or just source you bash_profile file :

source ~/.bash_profile

answered Apr 06 '16 at 20:10

Till

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@PadraicCunningham I haven't tried creating `.env`. It worked out. I'm not sure why the `bash_profile` didn't work. – lizzie Apr 06 '16 at 20:15
@lizzie, I thought you added to `~/.bash_profille` as per your question and comment? – Padraic Cunningham Apr 06 '16 at 20:16
@PadraicCunningham I did add to my bash_profile. What I didn't have was the `.env` file. – lizzie Apr 06 '16 at 20:18
@lizzie the `.env` or the `bash_profile` work the same. You just have to source it somehow. But usually it is good to have a `.env` at the root of your project. – Till Apr 06 '16 at 20:20
@Till Great to know! – lizzie Apr 06 '16 at 20:20
@lizzie, you must not have actually logged out, whatever is in `.profile` would have been executed on login and when you restarted a shell your .bash_profile would have run so there is no reason I know of that .env would work when the others didn't unless of course you did not do what I asked in my original comment – Padraic Cunningham Apr 06 '16 at 20:22
@lizzie ... are you really using `bash`? My linux mint uses `dash` and `dash` uses .profile not .bash_profile. `ls -l /bin/sh` should tell you. – tdelaney Apr 06 '16 at 20:37
@tdelaney the output from `ls -l /bin/sh` says wheel. I'm using zshell AFAIK. – lizzie Apr 06 '16 at 20:40
There is a link about loading `.bash_profile` with `zsh` : http://stackoverflow.com/questions/23233603/how-to-load-bash-profile-when-entering-bash-from-within-zsh – Till Apr 06 '16 at 20:45

Is there a way to not expose credentials in the code?

1 Answers1