Google Secret Manager
Google Secret Manager is a secure and centralized service for storing, managing, and accessing sensitive data such as API keys, passwords, and certificates on the Google Cloud Platform. It provides versioning, audit logging, and fine-grained access controls to help protect secrets throughout their lifecycle. Developers can use it to securely inject secrets into applications without hardcoding them in source code or configuration files.
Developers should use Google Secret Manager when building applications on Google Cloud that require secure handling of sensitive credentials, especially in cloud-native, microservices, or CI/CD environments. It is essential for compliance with security best practices, enabling secrets rotation, and reducing the risk of exposure in code repositories or logs. Specific use cases include storing database passwords, API keys for third-party services, and TLS certificates for secure communications.