Security, Identity, and Compliance
AWS Secrets Manager
A managed service for storing, retrieving, and rotating secrets such as database credentials and API keys.
Key points
- Applications retrieve secrets through controlled access instead of embedding them in code.
- Managed rotation is available for supported secret types and can be customized.
- Encryption protects stored secret values, while IAM controls who can retrieve them.
Best-known use cases
- Remove hard-coded credentials from applications.
- Manage rotation and access to database passwords or API keys.
What candidates often confuse it with
- Secrets Manager stores secret values; KMS manages encryption keys.
- IAM roles provide temporary AWS credentials; Secrets Manager holds application secrets that still need secure retrieval.
Key Cloud Practitioner takeaway
Use Secrets Manager for secret values and rotation, not as a substitute for IAM authorization.
Related services
- AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS)
- AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Relevant exam tasks
- D2.3