diff --git a/collabmate/.env.example b/collabmate/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42afa64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/collabmate/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+FIREBASE_API_KEY=your_firebase_api_key_here
+FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=your_firebase_auth_domain_here
+FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_firebase_project_id_here
+FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET=your_firebase_storage_bucket_here
+FIREBASE_MESSAGING_ID=your_firebase_messaging_id_here
+FIREBASE_APP_ID=your_firebase_app_id_here
+FIREBASE_MEASUREMENT_ID=your_firebase_measurement_id_here
+SERPAPI_API_KEY=your_serpapi_api_key_here
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/collabmate/.gitignore b/collabmate/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d4b137
--- /dev/null
+++ b/collabmate/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+.venv/
+venv/
+.env
+__pycache__/
+*.pyc
+*.pyo
+*.pyd
+.Python
+env/
+build/
+develop-eggs/
+dist/
+downloads/
+eggs/
+.eggs/
+lib/
+lib64/
+parts/
+sdist/
+var/
+*.egg-info
+.installed.cfg
+*.egg
+MANIFEST
+*.log
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/collabmate/app.py b/collabmate/app.py
index b812f93..083e57a 100644
--- a/collabmate/app.py
+++ b/collabmate/app.py
@@ -1,8 +1,23 @@
+import os
+
 from flask import Flask, render_template, request, jsonify
 from serpapi import GoogleSearch
 
 app = Flask(__name__)
 
+
+def get_firebase_web_config():
+    config = {
+        "apiKey": os.getenv("FIREBASE_API_KEY", ""),
+        "authDomain": os.getenv("FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN", ""),
+        "projectId": os.getenv("FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID", ""),
+        "storageBucket": os.getenv("FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET", ""),
+        "messagingSenderId": os.getenv("FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID", ""),
+        "appId": os.getenv("FIREBASE_APP_ID", ""),
+        "measurementId": os.getenv("FIREBASE_MEASUREMENT_ID", ""),
+    }
+    return {key: value for key, value in config.items() if value}
+
 # ---------------- ROUTES ---------------- #
 
 @app.route("/")
@@ -30,6 +45,38 @@ def about():
     return render_template("about.html")
 
 
+@app.route("/api/firebase-config", methods=["GET"])
+def firebase_config():
+    # Map client config keys to their corresponding environment variable names
+    required_env_vars = {
+        "apiKey": "FIREBASE_API_KEY",
+        "authDomain": "FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN",
+        "projectId": "FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID",
+        "storageBucket": "FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET",
+        "messagingSenderId": "FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID",
+        "appId": "FIREBASE_APP_ID",
+        # measurementId is often optional; leave it out of required set
+    }
+
+    missing_keys = [
+        client_key
+        for client_key, env_name in required_env_vars.items()
+        if not os.getenv(env_name, "")
+    ]
+
+    if missing_keys:
+        return (
+            jsonify(
+                {
+                    "error": "Firebase configuration is incomplete",
+                    "missingKeys": missing_keys,
+                }
+            ),
+            500,
+        )
+    return jsonify(get_firebase_web_config())
+
+
 # ---------------- SEARCH API ---------------- #
 
 @app.route("/search", methods=["POST"])
@@ -40,10 +87,13 @@ def search():
     params = {
         "engine": "google",
         "q": f"site:linkedin.com/in {skill} developer",
-        "api_key": "e982c35751fcf5b616da20a53c8b2e37888ee7df15e3a42f3730043767c02233",
+        "api_key": os.getenv("SERPAPI_API_KEY", ""),
         "num": 5
     }
 
+    if not params["api_key"]:
+        return jsonify({"error": "SERPAPI_API_KEY is not configured"}), 500
+
     search = GoogleSearch(params)
     results = search.get_dict()
 
diff --git a/collabmate/requirements.txt b/collabmate/requirements.txt
index e45ffe3..38ee2d3 100644
Binary files a/collabmate/requirements.txt and b/collabmate/requirements.txt differ
diff --git a/collabmate/static/firebase/firebase-config.js b/collabmate/static/firebase/firebase-config.js
index fe15895..915d308 100644
--- a/collabmate/static/firebase/firebase-config.js
+++ b/collabmate/static/firebase/firebase-config.js
@@ -1,13 +1,34 @@
-// Firebase configuration
-const firebaseConfig = {
-  apiKey: "AIzaSyBK-BHorRztdxUjKZWSdi9yKd3SQPvRlXE",
-  authDomain: "collabmate-ai-53941.firebaseapp.com",
-  projectId: "collabmate-ai-53941",
-  storageBucket: "collabmate-ai-53941.firebasestorage.app",
-  messagingSenderId: "789622234866",
-  appId: "1:789622234866:web:f1b8291921aea068eb7a6b",
-  measurementId: "G-W604B1RY8H"
-};
-
-// Initialize Firebase
-firebase.initializeApp(firebaseConfig);
\ No newline at end of file
+function initFirebase() {
+  // Ensure Firebase initialization is only performed once and expose a global promise
+  if (!window.firebaseInitPromise) {
+    window.firebaseInitPromise = (async () => {
+      try {
+        const response = await fetch('/api/firebase-config', {
+          method: 'GET',
+          cache: 'no-store'
+        });
+
+        if (!response.ok) {
+          throw new Error('Failed to load Firebase config');
+        }
+
+        const firebaseConfig = await response.json();
+
+        if (!firebaseConfig.apiKey || !firebaseConfig.projectId || !firebaseConfig.appId) {
+          throw new Error('Firebase config is incomplete');
+        }
+
+        firebase.initializeApp(firebaseConfig);
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.error('Firebase initialization failed:', error);
+        // Re-throw so consumers of firebaseInitPromise can handle failures if needed
+        throw error;
+      }
+    })();
+  }
+
+  return window.firebaseInitPromise;
+}
+
+// Kick off initialization immediately when this file loads
+initFirebase();
\ No newline at end of file