Secret Management
Secret management is the practice of securely storing, accessing, and distributing sensitive information such as passwords, API keys, tokens, and certificates in software applications and infrastructure. It involves using specialized tools and processes to protect secrets from unauthorized access, prevent hardcoding in source code, and enable secure sharing across teams and environments. This concept is crucial for maintaining security compliance, reducing attack surfaces, and enabling automation in modern development and operations workflows.
Developers should learn and implement secret management when building applications that handle sensitive data, deploying to cloud environments, or working in teams where secure credential sharing is necessary. It is essential for compliance with security standards like SOC 2, GDPR, or HIPAA, and for preventing data breaches caused by exposed secrets in code repositories. Use cases include securing database connections, managing cloud service credentials, handling payment processing keys, and automating deployment pipelines without manual intervention.