Glossary

A cloud secrets manager is a specialized security tool designed to securely store, manage, and access sensitive application credentials, such as API keys, database passwords, encryption keys, and certificates. By centralizing secrets management in the cloud, these tools help organizations enhance security, streamline access control, and reduce the risks associated with hardcoded credentials or manually managed secrets.

One of the primary benefits of a cloud secrets manager is automated secret rotation, which minimizes the risk of credential exposure by frequently updating keys and passwords without requiring manual intervention. This automation reduces the attack surface and ensures that compromised credentials become obsolete quickly. Additionally, access to stored secrets is tightly controlled through fine-grained permissions, ensuring that only authorized applications and users can retrieve them.

Cloud secrets managers also provide auditing and monitoring features, offering visibility into how secrets are accessed and used. This helps organizations detect anomalies, enforce compliance policies, and respond to potential security incidents. By integrating with identity and access management (IAM) solutions, these tools further enhance security by enforcing least-privilege access principles.

For developers, a cloud secrets manager eliminates the need to store sensitive information in environment variables, code repositories, or configuration files, reducing the risk of accidental leaks. Instead, applications retrieve secrets dynamically at runtime, ensuring that credentials remain secure while maintaining operational flexibility.