Secrets Management

What it is

Secrets management is the practice of managing sensitive data (passwords, API keys, certificates, tokens) securely throughout the application lifecycle. The fundamental principle: secrets should never be in code.

Anti-patterns

• Hardcoded secrets in source code
• Secrets in unencrypted environment variables
• Secrets shared via Slack/email
• Single secret shared across all environments

Tools

Best practices

• Automatic secret rotation
• Principle of least privilege
• Secret access auditing
• Different secrets per environment
• Secret detection in code (GitLeaks, TruffleHog)

Why it matters

Hardcoded secrets in code or environment variables are one of the most common causes of security breaches. A centralized secrets management system — with automatic rotation, auditing, and role-based access — is basic security infrastructure.

References

• AWS Secrets Manager — Official documentation.
• HashiCorp Vault — HashiCorp, 2024. Leading secrets management solution.
• Secrets Manager Best Practices — AWS, 2024. Official best practices.