vastai-security-basics by jeremylongshore

---
name: vastai-security-basics
description: |
  Apply Vast.ai security best practices for secrets and access control.
  Use when securing API keys, implementing least privilege access,
  or auditing Vast.ai security configuration.
  Trigger with phrases like "vastai security", "vastai secrets",
  "secure vastai", "vastai API key security".
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Grep
version: 1.0.0
license: MIT
author: Jeremy Longshore <jeremy@intentsolutions.io>
---

# Vast.ai Security Basics

## Overview
Security best practices for Vast.ai API keys, tokens, and access control.

## Prerequisites
- Vast.ai SDK installed
- Understanding of environment variables
- Access to Vast.ai dashboard

## Instructions

### Step 1: Configure Environment Variables
```bash
# .env (NEVER commit to git)
VASTAI_API_KEY=sk_live_***
VASTAI_SECRET=***

# .gitignore
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
```

### Step 2: Implement Secret Rotation
```bash
# 1. Generate new key in Vast.ai dashboard
# 2. Update environment variable
export VASTAI_API_KEY="new_key_here"

# 3. Verify new key works
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VASTAI_API_KEY}" \
  https://api.vastai.com/health

# 4. Revoke old key in dashboard
```

### Step 3: Apply Least Privilege
| Environment | Recommended Scopes |
|-------------|-------------------|
| Development | `read:*` |
| Staging | `read:*, write:limited` |
| Production | `Only required scopes` |

## Output
- Secure API key storage
- Environment-specific access controls
- Audit logging enabled

## Error Handling
| Security Issue | Detection | Mitigation |
|----------------|-----------|------------|
| Exposed API key | Git scanning | Rotate immediately |
| Excessive scopes | Audit logs | Reduce permissions |
| Missing rotation | Key age check | Schedule rotation |

## Examples

### Service Account Pattern
```typescript
const clients = {
  reader: new Vast.aiClient({
    apiKey: process.env.VASTAI_READ_KEY,
  }),
  writer: new Vast.aiClient({
    apiKey: process.env.VASTAI_WRITE_KEY,
  }),
};
```

### Webhook Signature Verification
```typescript
import crypto from 'crypto';

function verifyWebhookSignature(
  payload: string, signature: string, secret: string
): boolean {
  const expected = crypto.createHmac('sha256', secret).update(payload).digest('hex');
  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(Buffer.from(signature), Buffer.from(expected));
}
```

### Security Checklist
- [ ] API keys in environment variables
- [ ] `.env` files in `.gitignore`
- [ ] Different keys for dev/staging/prod
- [ ] Minimal scopes per environment
- [ ] Webhook signatures validated
- [ ] Audit logging enabled

### Audit Logging
```typescript
interface AuditEntry {
  timestamp: Date;
  action: string;
  userId: string;
  resource: string;
  result: 'success' | 'failure';
  metadata?: Record<string, any>;
}

async function auditLog(entry: Omit<AuditEntry, 'timestamp'>): Promise<void> {
  const log: AuditEntry = { ...entry, timestamp: new Date() };

  // Log to Vast.ai analytics
  await vastaiClient.track('audit', log);

  // Also log locally for compliance
  console.log('[AUDIT]', JSON.stringify(log));
}

// Usage
await auditLog({
  action: 'vastai.api.call',
  userId: currentUser.id,
  resource: '/v1/resource',
  result: 'success',
});
```

## Resources
- [Vast.ai Security Guide](https://docs.vastai.com/security)
- [Vast.ai API Scopes](https://docs.vastai.com/scopes)

## Next Steps
For production deployment, see `vastai-prod-checklist`.