Secrets Management
Secrets management is the practice of securely storing, accessing, and distributing sensitive information such as passwords, API keys, tokens, and certificates in software development and IT operations. It involves using specialized tools and processes to protect these secrets from unauthorized access, while ensuring they are available to authorized applications and services when needed. This helps prevent security breaches and compliance violations.
Developers should learn and use secrets management when building applications that handle sensitive data, especially in cloud-native, microservices, or DevOps environments where secrets are frequently shared across multiple services. It is crucial for security best practices, as hardcoding secrets in code or configuration files poses significant risks. Specific use cases include securing database credentials, managing cloud service API keys, and handling authentication tokens in CI/CD pipelines.