Skip to content

FIX_EXPIRED_API_KEY.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
180 lines (122 loc) · 4.03 KB

FIX_EXPIRED_API_KEY.md

File metadata and controls

180 lines (122 loc) · 4.03 KB

🚨 Fix: Expired Google Maps API Key

Problem

Error: "The provided API key is expired."

Your Google Maps API server key has expired and needs to be renewed or replaced.

✅ Solution: Create New API Key

Step 1: Check Current Key Status

  1. Go to: https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials
  2. Find your server API key (STAIRS Backend Server Key or similar)
  3. Check if it shows as "Expired" or "Invalid"

Step 2: Create New Server API Key

  1. In Google Cloud Console:

  2. Name it: STAIRS Backend Server Key v2 (or with current date)

  3. Click "Restrict key" tab:

    Application restrictions:

    • Select "IP addresses (web servers, cron jobs, etc.)"
    • Add your server IP: 160.187.22.41
    • Or add Cloudflare IP ranges if needed

    API restrictions:

    • Select "Restrict key"
    • Enable these APIs:
      • ✅ Places API
      • ✅ Geocoding API
      • ✅ Maps JavaScript API (optional, for backend if needed)

  4. Click "SAVE"

  5. Copy the new API key

Step 3: Update Backend Environment

Option A: Use helper script:

cd /root/stairs-new
bash quick-fix-server-key.sh

Enter your new API key when prompted.

Option B: Manual update:

cd /root/stairs-new/backend

# Backup .env
cp .env .env.backup.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

# Edit .env
nano .env

# Find the line:
# GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=old_expired_key

# Replace with:
GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=YOUR_NEW_KEY_HERE

# Save and exit (Ctrl+X, Y, Enter)

Option C: Quick command line:

# Replace OLD_KEY with your expired key, NEW_KEY with new key
cd /root/stairs-new/backend
sed -i 's/^GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=.*/GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=YOUR_NEW_KEY_HERE/' .env

# Verify
grep GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY .env

Step 4: Restart Backend

pm2 restart stairs-backend

# Verify it's running
pm2 logs stairs-backend --lines 20

Step 5: Test

# Test local endpoint
curl "http://localhost:5000/api/maps/places/autocomplete?input=test"

# Should return JSON with predictions, NOT expired error

Step 6: Verify No More Errors

# Check logs for expired errors
pm2 logs stairs-backend --lines 50 | grep -i "expired\|denied"

# Should show no results

🔍 Why Keys Expire

Google Maps API keys can expire if:

  1. Billing issue - Payment method expired or insufficient funds
  2. Key rotation - Google requires periodic key rotation
  3. Account suspension - Billing or policy violation
  4. Project disabled - Project paused or disabled

✅ Prevent Future Expiration

  1. Enable billing alerts:

    • Go to Google Cloud Console → Billing → Budgets & alerts
    • Set up alerts for API usage

  2. Monitor API usage:

    • Go to APIs & Services → Dashboard
    • Check usage and quotas regularly

  3. Keep payment method current:

    • Ensure credit card/billing account is active

  4. Document your keys:

    • Keep track of which keys are used where
    • Have backup/recovery plan

📋 Quick Checklist

  • Create new API key in Google Cloud Console
  • Set IP restrictions (NOT referer restrictions)
  • Enable Places API and Geocoding API
  • Update GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY in backend/.env
  • Restart backend: pm2 restart stairs-backend
  • Test endpoint: curl http://localhost:5000/api/maps/places/autocomplete?input=test
  • Verify no expired errors in logs
  • Test frontend venue autocomplete

🆘 If Still Not Working

Check API Key Status:

  1. Verify key is not restricted to referrers (must be IP or no restrictions)
  2. Verify Places API is enabled in API restrictions
  3. Verify billing is enabled for Google Cloud project
  4. Verify quota hasn't been exceeded

Check Backend Logs:

pm2 logs stairs-backend --lines 100 | grep -i "google\|places\|api\|error"

Once you create the new key and update the backend, the expired errors should be resolved!
⚡