External Secret Management in Kubernetes

Introduction

Managing sensitive information such as passwords, API keys, and tokens is crucial in Kubernetes environments. External Secret Management provides a way to keep secrets secure without hardcoding them into application code or Kubernetes manifests.

Key Concepts

• **Secrets**: Kubernetes objects that store sensitive data.
• **External Secret Management**: Using external tools to manage secrets outside of Kubernetes.
• **External Secrets Operator**: A Kubernetes operator that integrates external secret management systems.

Setting Up External Secret Management

Step 1: Choose an External Secret Store

Common options include:

• AWS Secrets Manager
• HashiCorp Vault
• Azure Key Vault

Step 2: Install External Secrets Operator

To install the External Secrets Operator, use the following command:

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/releases/latest/download/external-secrets-operator.yaml

Step 3: Create an ExternalSecret Resource

Define an ExternalSecret resource in a YAML file:

apiVersion: external-secrets.io/v1beta1
kind: ExternalSecret
metadata:
  name: my-secret
spec:
  backendType: secretsManager
  data:
    - key: my-secret-key
      name: my-app-secret

Step 4: Apply the Configuration

Apply the configuration using:

kubectl apply -f my-external-secret.yaml

Best Practices

• **Limit Secret Access**: Use RBAC to restrict who can access secrets.
• **Use Encryption**: Ensure that secrets are encrypted in transit and at rest.
• **Regularly Rotate Secrets**: Implement a process for rotating secrets regularly.

FAQ