N8N API Key Validator Node

A community node for N8N focused on validating API keys, tokens, and sensitive data with maximum security and multiple input modes.

🔐 Main Features

• ✅ Multiple Input Modes: Direct input, Environment Variables, or JavaScript Code
• 🛡️ Advanced Data Masking: Automatically hides sensitive data in output
• 🚫 Secure Validation: If invalid → stops workflow, if valid → passes masked data
• 🎯 Perfect for Webhooks: Ideal for validating authentication on endpoints
• 📊 Validation Confirmation: Clear feedback when validation passes

🔍 How It Works

Security Behavior

1. ✅ Validation PASSED: Node passes all original data (with sensitive values masked) to the next node
2. ❌ Validation FAILED: Workflow stops immediately with custom error message

Input Modes

• Direct Input: Enter API key directly (may show in debug area)
• Environment Variable: Use system environment variables (most secure)
• Code Expression: Use JavaScript code for maximum flexibility

Validation Types

• Exact Match: API key must match exactly
• Starts With: API key must start with expected prefix
• Contains: API key must contain expected substring

🔧 Configuration

Input Mode Options

1. Direct Input Mode

Input Mode: Direct Input
Input Key: ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

2. Environment Variable Mode

Input Mode: Environment Variable
Environment Variable Name: API_KEY

Configure: API_KEY=your-secret-key in your system

3. Code Expression Mode

Input Mode: Code Expression
JavaScript Code:
// Return the API key to validate
return $env.API_KEY;
// or
return $json.headers['x-api-key'];

Other Fields

• Expected Key: Your secret key (supports expressions, hidden for security)
• Validation Type: How to validate (Exact Match, Starts With, Contains)
• Case Sensitive: Whether to consider uppercase/lowercase
• Error Message: Custom error message

🚀 Usage Examples

Example 1: Environment Variable Mode (Most Secure)

1. System Setup: Set environment variable API_KEY=sk-1234567890abcdef
2. Security Validator Configuration:
   • Input Mode: Environment Variable
   • Environment Variable Name: API_KEY
   • Expected Key: sk-1234567890abcdef
   • Validation Type: Exact Match

// Webhook Input:
{
  "headers": {
    "x-api-key": "sk-1234567890abcdef"
  },
  "body": { "data": "important" }
}

// Security Validator Output:
{
  "headers": {
    "x-api-key": "***HIDDEN***"  // ← Masked for security
  },
  "body": { "data": "important" },
  "_validation": {
    "status": "VALID",
    "message": "API key validation passed successfully",
    "timestamp": "2025-01-28T10:00:00Z",
    "validationType": "equals"
  }
}

Example 2: Code Expression Mode (Most Flexible)

// JavaScript Code in Security Validator:
// Check multiple possible locations for API key
return $json.headers['x-api-key'] || 
       $json.headers['authorization'] || 
       $json.query.api_key ||
       $env.FALLBACK_API_KEY;

Example 3: Direct Input Mode (Simple)

• Input Key: {{$json.headers['x-api-key']}}
• Expected Key: Your secret key (hidden)

🔒 Security Features

Data Masking

• Automatic Detection: Masks API keys, tokens, passwords, and numeric IDs
• Smart Patterns: Detects 8+ digit numbers, sensitive keywords
• Output Protection: Sensitive values appear as ***HIDDEN*** in output

Input Security

• Password Fields: All sensitive inputs are hidden
• Environment Variables: Most secure option - no data exposure
• Code Expressions: Flexible but secure execution context

Validation Feedback

"_validation": {
  "status": "VALID",
  "message": "API key validation passed successfully",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-28T10:00:00Z",
  "validationType": "equals"
}

📦 Installation

npm install n8n-nodes-api-key-validator

🎯 Use Cases

• Validate API keys in webhooks
• Verify authentication tokens
• Validate user or session IDs
• Control access based on specific values
• Filter data based on security criteria

🛠️ Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Development with watch
npm run dev

# Lint
npm run lint

# Format
npm run format

🔄 Changelog

v1.1.2 (Current)

• ✅ Multiple input modes (Direct, Environment Variable, Code Expression)
• ✅ Advanced data masking for sensitive values
• ✅ Improved security for numeric IDs and tokens
• ✅ Expression support for Expected Key field
• ✅ Validation confirmation in output

v1.1.x

• ✅ Enhanced data masking algorithms
• ✅ Code expression mode for flexibility
• ✅ Environment variable support

v1.0.x

• ✅ Basic API key validation
• ✅ Hidden password fields
• ✅ Simple pass/stop behavior

� License

MIT

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

🐛 Issues

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the GitHub repository.

📞 Support

For support and questions, please use the GitHub issues or discussions.