AWS Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is a service that helps you protect access to your applications, services, and IT resources by managing sensitive information like passwords, API keys, and database credentials. Think of it as a secure vault for all your application's secrets.
Overview
Secrets Manager helps solve a common challenge in application security: how to safely store and distribute sensitive information that your applications need to function. Instead of hardcoding passwords in your application code or configuration files, you can retrieve them securely from Secrets Manager when needed.
One of the key features is automatic rotation of secrets. For example, if you have a database password, Secrets Manager can automatically change it on a regular schedule and update any applications that need to use it. This helps maintain security without causing service interruptions.
The service encrypts all secrets using industry-standard encryption and provides fine-grained access control to determine who can access which secrets. It also maintains a detailed history of how secrets have been accessed and modified.
Secrets Manager integrates deeply with many AWS services and can be used from any application, whether it's running on AWS or not. This makes it a central place to manage all your application secrets securely.
Example uses
Database Credentials: Securely store and automatically rotate database passwords.
API Keys: Manage access keys for third-party services and APIs.
Application Secrets: Store encryption keys, OAuth tokens, or other sensitive configuration data.
SSL/TLS Certificates: Store private keys and certificates securely.
Integration with other AWS services
Secrets Manager works seamlessly with many AWS services:
- Amazon RDS: Automatically rotate database credentials
- AWS Lambda: Securely access secrets in serverless functions
- Amazon ECS: Provide secure access to secrets for containerized applications
- AWS CloudFormation: Include secrets in infrastructure templates securely
Think of Secrets Manager as your application's secure vault, ensuring sensitive information is stored safely, accessed securely, and updated automatically when needed.