diff --git a/packages/providers/src.ts/alchemy-provider.ts b/packages/providers/src.ts/alchemy-provider.ts
index 49c12ca292..6b4b66f18b 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src.ts/alchemy-provider.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src.ts/alchemy-provider.ts
@@ -18,8 +18,11 @@ const defaultApiKey = "_gg7wSSi0KMBsdKnGVfHDueq6xMB9EkC"
 export class AlchemyProvider extends UrlJsonRpcProvider {
     readonly apiKey: string;
 
-    static getApiKey(apiKey: string): string {
+    static getApiKey(apiKey: any): any {
         if (apiKey == null) { return defaultApiKey; }
+        if (apiKey && typeof(apiKey) !== "string") {
+            logger.throwArgumentError("invalid apiKey", "apiKey", apiKey);
+        }
         return apiKey;
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/providers/src.ts/cloudflare-provider.ts b/packages/providers/src.ts/cloudflare-provider.ts
index cf03316c44..8e163eed46 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src.ts/cloudflare-provider.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src.ts/cloudflare-provider.ts
@@ -9,11 +9,14 @@ const logger = new Logger(version);
 
 export class CloudflareProvider extends UrlJsonRpcProvider {
 
-    static getUrl(network: Network, apiKey?: string): string {
+    static getApiKey(apiKey: any): any {
         if (apiKey != null) {
             logger.throwArgumentError("apiKey not supported for cloudflare", "apiKey", apiKey);
         }
+        return null;
+    }
 
+    static getUrl(network: Network, apiKey?: any): string {
         let host = null;
         switch (network.name) {
             case "homestead":
diff --git a/packages/providers/src.ts/infura-provider.ts b/packages/providers/src.ts/infura-provider.ts
index f86e9891d0..795eeb1a5f 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src.ts/infura-provider.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src.ts/infura-provider.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 "use strict";
 
 import { Network } from "@ethersproject/networks";
+import { ConnectionInfo } from "@ethersproject/web";
 
 import { Logger } from "@ethersproject/logger";
 import { version } from "./_version";
@@ -12,15 +13,40 @@ import { UrlJsonRpcProvider } from "./url-json-rpc-provider";
 const defaultProjectId = "84842078b09946638c03157f83405213"
 
 export class InfuraProvider extends UrlJsonRpcProvider {
-    get projectId(): string { return this.apiKey; }
+    readonly projectId: string;
+    readonly projectSecret: string;
 
-    static getApiKey(apiKey: string): string {
-        if (apiKey == null) { return defaultProjectId; }
-        return apiKey;
+    static getApiKey(apiKey: any): any {
+        const apiKeyObj: { apiKey: string, projectId: string, projectSecret: string } = {
+            apiKey: null,
+            projectId: defaultProjectId,
+            projectSecret: null
+        };
+
+        if (typeof(apiKey) === "string") {
+            apiKeyObj.projectId = apiKey;
+
+        } else if (apiKey.projectSecret != null) {
+            if (typeof(apiKey.projectId) !== "string") {
+                logger.throwArgumentError("projectSecret requires a projectId", "projectId", apiKey.projectId);
+            }
+            if (typeof(apiKey.projectSecret) !== "string") {
+                logger.throwArgumentError("invalid projectSecret", "projectSecret", "[REDACTED]");
+            }
+            apiKeyObj.projectId = apiKey.projectId;
+            apiKeyObj.projectSecret = apiKey.projectSecret;
+
+        } else if (apiKey.projectId) {
+            apiKeyObj.projectId = apiKey.projectId;
+        }
+
+        apiKeyObj.apiKey = apiKeyObj.projectId;
+
+        return apiKeyObj;
     }
 
-    static getUrl(network: Network, apiKey: string): string {
-        let host = null;
+    static getUrl(network: Network, apiKey: any): string | ConnectionInfo {
+        let host: string = null;
         switch(network.name) {
             case "homestead":
                 host = "mainnet.infura.io";
@@ -44,6 +70,15 @@ export class InfuraProvider extends UrlJsonRpcProvider {
                 });
         }
 
-        return "https:/" + "/" + host + "/v3/" + apiKey;
+        const connection: ConnectionInfo = {
+             url: ("https:/" + "/" + host + "/v3/" + apiKey.projectId)
+        };
+
+        if (apiKey.projectSecret != null) {
+            connection.user = "";
+            connection.password = apiKey.projectSecret
+        }
+
+        return connection;
     }
 }
diff --git a/packages/providers/src.ts/json-rpc-provider.ts b/packages/providers/src.ts/json-rpc-provider.ts
index c806708d46..2321756a35 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src.ts/json-rpc-provider.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src.ts/json-rpc-provider.ts
@@ -266,11 +266,11 @@ export class JsonRpcProvider extends BaseProvider {
         if (!url) { url = "http:/" + "/localhost:8545"; }
 
         if (typeof(url) === "string") {
-            this.connection = {
+            this.connection = Object.freeze({
                 url: url
-            };
+            });
         } else {
-            this.connection = url;
+            this.connection = Object.freeze(shallowCopy(url));
         }
 
         this._nextId = 42;
diff --git a/packages/providers/src.ts/nodesmith-provider.ts b/packages/providers/src.ts/nodesmith-provider.ts
index 274659f206..d05a545b3f 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src.ts/nodesmith-provider.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src.ts/nodesmith-provider.ts
@@ -12,11 +12,14 @@ const defaultApiKey = "ETHERS_JS_SHARED";
 
 export class NodesmithProvider extends UrlJsonRpcProvider {
 
-    static getApiKey(apiKey: string): string {
+    static getApiKey(apiKey: any): any {
+        if (apiKey && typeof(apiKey) !== "string") {
+            logger.throwArgumentError("invalid apiKey", "apiKey", apiKey);
+        }
         return apiKey || defaultApiKey;
     }
 
-    static getUrl(network: Network, apiKey?: string): string {
+    static getUrl(network: Network, apiKey?: any): string {
         let host = null;
         switch (network.name) {
             case "homestead":
diff --git a/packages/providers/src.ts/url-json-rpc-provider.ts b/packages/providers/src.ts/url-json-rpc-provider.ts
index b8b805c30f..83272cbf81 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src.ts/url-json-rpc-provider.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src.ts/url-json-rpc-provider.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import { Network, Networkish } from "@ethersproject/networks";
 import { defineReadOnly, getStatic } from "@ethersproject/properties";
+import { ConnectionInfo } from "@ethersproject/web";
 
 import { Logger } from "@ethersproject/logger";
 import { version } from "./_version";
@@ -9,21 +10,29 @@ const logger = new Logger(version);
 
 import { JsonRpcProvider, JsonRpcSigner } from "./json-rpc-provider";
 
+type getUrlFunc = (network: Network, apiKey: string) => string | ConnectionInfo;
+
 export abstract class UrlJsonRpcProvider extends JsonRpcProvider {
     readonly apiKey: string;
 
-    constructor(network?: Networkish, apiKey?: string) {
+    constructor(network?: Networkish, apiKey?: any) {
         logger.checkAbstract(new.target, UrlJsonRpcProvider);
 
         // Normalize the Network and API Key
         network = getStatic<(network: Networkish) => Network>(new.target, "getNetwork")(network);
         apiKey = getStatic<(apiKey: string) => string>(new.target, "getApiKey")(apiKey);
 
-        const url = getStatic<(network: Network, apiKey: string) => string>(new.target, "getUrl")(network, apiKey);
+        const connection = getStatic<getUrlFunc>(new.target, "getUrl")(network, apiKey);
 
-        super(url, network);
+        super(connection, network);
 
-        defineReadOnly(this, "apiKey", apiKey);
+        if (typeof(apiKey) === "string") {
+            defineReadOnly(this, "apiKey", apiKey);
+        } else if (apiKey != null) {
+            Object.keys(apiKey).forEach((key) => {
+                defineReadOnly(this, key, apiKey[key]);
+            });
+        }
     }
 
     _startPending(): void {
@@ -31,29 +40,26 @@ export abstract class UrlJsonRpcProvider extends JsonRpcProvider {
     }
 
     getSigner(address?: string): JsonRpcSigner {
-        logger.throwError(
+        return logger.throwError(
             "API provider does not support signing",
             Logger.errors.UNSUPPORTED_OPERATION,
             { operation: "getSigner" }
         );
-        return null;
     }
 
     listAccounts(): Promise<Array<string>> {
         return Promise.resolve([]);
     }
-/*
-    static getNetwork(network?: Networkish): Network {
-        return getNetwork((network == null) ? "homestead": network);
-    }
-*/
+
     // Return a defaultApiKey if null, otherwise validate the API key
-    static getApiKey(apiKey: string): string {
+    static getApiKey(apiKey: any): any {
         return apiKey;
     }
 
-    // Returns the url for the given network and API key
-    static getUrl(network: Network, apiKey: string): string {
+    // Returns the url or connection for the given network and API key. The
+    // API key will have been sanitized by the getApiKey first, so any validation
+    // or transformations can be done there.
+    static getUrl(network: Network, apiKey: any): string | ConnectionInfo {
         return logger.throwError("not implemented; sub-classes must override getUrl", Logger.errors.NOT_IMPLEMENTED, {
             operation: "getUrl"
         });