API Keys vs OAuth: When Simplicity Becomes a Security Trap

API keys are every developer's first authentication tool, but their simplicity hides serious security tradeoffs. This episode unpacks what an API key actually represents (spoiler: nothing), what you lose when you swap OAuth for a long-lived key, and when API keys are genuinely the right choice versus just the easiest one. With real examples from AWS, Google Cloud, and Stripe, we explore scoping, expiration, revocation, and why client-side API keys are a trap. Episode #226800 — open it directly at myweirdprompts.com/226800