The Problem: Stripe Secret Keys Must Never Reach the Frontend
Stripe's sk_live_... secret keys provide full access to your payment infrastructure. If exposed in frontend code, DevTools, or GitHub repositories, attackers can create charges, abuse APIs, or generate fraudulent payment flows.
Environment variables do NOT secure client-side builds. Serverless functions still require configuration, maintenance, CORS handling, and rate limiting.
Building a backend just to create a PaymentIntent is the Backend Tax.
What Happens If Your Stripe Key Leaks?
- Fraudulent charges
- PaymentIntent abuse
- Unexpected API usage costs
- Account suspension
- Compliance risk
Payments are not the place to cut corners.
The Solution: The Salting Layer
Instead of calling Stripe directly:https://api.stripe.com/v1/payment_intents
You call your secure bridge:https://api.salting.io/r/salting-io-bridge-uuid
Your Stripe secret key stays encrypted inside Salting. We handle:
- Secret key vaulting
- CORS enforcement
- IP & rate limiting
- Request validation
- Abuse protection
You get backend-level security without maintaining backend infrastructure.
How It Works
- Add your Stripe Secret Key to your Salting dashboard.
- Generate a private Bridge URL.
- Replace Stripe's API base URL in your frontend.
- Deploy instantly.
No Node.js server. No Express boilerplate. No PCI headaches.
Secure Stripe Payments in Frontend Apps
If you're shipping Stripe payments from React, Next.js, Vue, or a static site, you need a safe way to create server-side objects like PaymentIntents without exposing sk_live keys. Salting gives you a protected endpoint with enforced CORS and rate limits, so your frontend stays fast and your payment infrastructure stays private.
Salting vs Traditional Backend Setup
🚧 Traditional Backend Proxy
- Requires Node.js / Go server
- Must secure and store secret keys yourself
- Manual CORS configuration
- Custom rate limiting logic
- Ongoing server maintenance
- Higher PCI surface area
☁ Serverless Function
- Cold starts possible
- CORS configuration required
- Secret management setup
- Deployment pipeline complexity
- Scaling cost spikes
⚡ Salting Layer (Recommended)
- No server required
- Encrypted Stripe key vault
- Built-in CORS enforcement
- Integrated rate limiting
- Abuse protection by default
- Deploy in under 2 minutes
What Can You Build?
- Stripe Checkout flows
- PaymentIntent creation
- Subscription billing
- SaaS payment systems
- One-time purchases
- Internal payment dashboards
Perfect for React, Next.js, Vue, static sites, and serverless apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Salting PCI compliant?
Salting reduces your infrastructure footprint by removing backend key exposure risk. Stripe still handles payment processing directly.
Does this replace my backend?
If your backend exists only to create PaymentIntents or protect Stripe keys, yes.
Does Salting store card data?
No. Stripe handles all sensitive payment data directly.
Can I apply rate limits per endpoint?
Yes. Each Bridge URL can have custom rate limits.
Does Salting add latency?
Minimal edge overhead (typically sub-30ms).
Stop Exposing Your Stripe Secret Key
If your frontend can see your Stripe secret key, so can attackers. Secure your payment infrastructure in minutes and ship with confidence.