Get started with security: Vite, React, and Ably Token Requests for API access

SaaS APIs often require authentication, commonly using secret keys, which can pose security risks if exposed directly to client applications. To address this, many APIs, such as Ably, offer token-based authentication systems that provide short-lived tokens with customizable access controls. This blog post demonstrates how to securely authenticate an Ably client in a React application using Token Requests generated server-side with the Ably SDK, avoiding direct exposure of secret keys. The tutorial guides setting up a Vite project, using the vite-plugin-api to add API routes, and creating an endpoint that generates and returns a Token Request, which client applications can use to authenticate with Ably. This approach ensures that secret keys remain secure while allowing client applications to access authenticated services through short-lived tokens, enhancing both security and functionality.