[Waiting for user confirmation] Google Maps API integration and key questions

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[cantonB]

Hello,
We use toolset with the google maps API extensively on a couple of pages like this:
hidden link

Two questions:

1) We confirmed that toolset is caching the API requests. Nevertheless there appear to be 1000's of requests per month, even though we have a very low traffic site. In March 2025, Google changed how many free API requests it offers, and we are now paying $150 per month for an incredibly low traffic site (that map is only requested a couple dozen times per day.)

Q: Can we log, from the wordpress/toolset side, what requests are being made to the google API and when?

2) When configuring toolset with the google maps API key, it seems we are required to turn off domain limits for our key. (E.g. we are not allowed to go into our google maps API configuration at google and specify 'only allow API requests from hidden link'. We are worried that leaving our key unrestricted opens us up to having the key stolen and causing very expensive theft of API resources.

Q: Can you reassure us that leaving our API key 'unrestricted' for toolset's use does not open us up to the possibility of theft? Why can't we we restrict our API key to being used by our domain?

[Minesh]

Hello. Thank you for contacting the Toolset support.

I'm not sure why your Google Map API request limit is exhausted for such a low traffic site.

I suggest you should create a two API key, one for client site and one for server side request.

If you navigate to: Toolset => Settings => Maps => Google Map API key section.

You will see two input boxes where with the second inputbox you can add the API key that will exclusively used for server side request.

Please register both public and server API - "For added protection of your API keys, you may want to set up a 2nd key for server-side requests:".

More info:
- https://toolset.com/course-lesson/creating-a-maps-api-key/#problems-with-displaying-markers-on-google-maps

Hopefully - once you do this, you may see the change in your billing and number of requests.

In addition to that - you should also check for missing cache entries, if any of the address is not cached then it will be cached.
- https://toolset.com/course-lesson/data-caching-for-maps-addresses/#checking-for-missing-cache-entries