What is AWS Secrets Manager?
AWS Secrets Manager is a fully managed service for securely storing, managing, and automatically rotating secrets. The service eliminates the need to store credentials in code or configuration files. Instead, applications retrieve secrets securely at runtime via the AWS API.
The central advantage of Secrets Manager is automatic rotation. Credentials can be changed automatically on a schedule without requiring manual application updates. For AWS database services like RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB, pre built rotation workflows are available.
Core Features
- Secure Storage: AES 256 encryption with AWS KMS
- Automatic Rotation: Scheduled credential changes without downtime
- Native AWS Integration: Direct integration with RDS, Redshift, DocumentDB
- Versioning: Automatic versioning of all secret changes
- Cross Region Replication: Secrets available in multiple regions
Typical Use Cases
Managing Database Credentials
Store RDS credentials in Secrets Manager instead of configuration files. Applications retrieve credentials at runtime. Automatic rotation changes passwords regularly without requiring deployments. RDS Proxy can integrate directly with Secrets Manager for credential lookups.
API Keys and OAuth Tokens
Manage API keys for external services centrally. Teams can retrieve keys via IAM policies without direct access to values. Audit logs in CloudTrail document every access. With compromised keys, you can rotate them immediately.
Compliance and Audit
Secrets Manager meets compliance requirements for secure credential management. Automatic rotation follows best practices for password policies. CloudTrail integration documents every access. Resource policies control cross account access.
Advantages
- No credentials in source code or configurations
- Automatic rotation reduces security risks
- Central management and audit of all secrets
- Native integration with AWS database services
Integration with innFactory
As an AWS Reseller, innFactory supports you with AWS Secrets Manager: architecture design for credential management, rotation strategies, integration into CI/CD pipelines, and compliance compliant implementation.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AWS Secrets Manager?
AWS Secrets Manager is a service for securely storing and managing secrets like database credentials, API keys, and OAuth tokens. It enables automatic rotation and integration with AWS services without hardcoding credentials.
How does automatic rotation work?
Secrets Manager can automatically rotate secrets on a schedule. For RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB, there are pre built Lambda functions. For other services, you can implement custom rotation Lambdas. Rotation happens without downtime through staged switching.
What is the difference from Systems Manager Parameter Store?
Secrets Manager offers automatic rotation, replication, and is optimized for secrets. Parameter Store is cheaper for simple configuration values without rotation requirements. Secrets Manager charges per secret, Parameter Store has a free tier.
How does Secrets Manager integrate with RDS?
Secrets Manager natively manages RDS master credentials. When creating RDS, you can store credentials in Secrets Manager. Automatic rotation updates database and secret in coordination. Applications retrieve credentials via SDK.