Glossary

Secrets injection is a security practice that dynamically provides sensitive credentials such as API keys, database passwords, and encryption keys to applications at runtime. Instead of embedding secrets in source code or storing them in configuration files, applications retrieve them from a secure secrets management system when needed. This approach reduces the risk of exposure, prevents secrets from being committed to version control, and ensures credentials remain up to date.

A secrets injection system integrates with applications and infrastructure, automatically providing credentials through environment variables, mounted files, or secure APIs. Many modern deployment environments, including Kubernetes and serverless platforms, support secrets injection natively. This reduces operational complexity while maintaining security best practices.

One of the major advantages of secrets injection is its ability to support ephemeral secrets. These credentials are short-lived and automatically rotated, minimizing the impact of a potential compromise. Secrets injection also enables role-based access control and audit logging, helping teams monitor and control which applications and services can access specific credentials.