Handling secrets securely

In today’s digital ecosystem, secrets such as API keys, passwords, and other credentials are as critical as the applications that use them. Managing these secrets securely is paramount to safeguarding your infrastructure and data. Whether you are a startup or a large enterprise, the choices you make in how to manage these sensitive pieces of information can have far-reaching implications for your organization’s security and compliance posture.

SSM Parameter Store versus Secrets Manager

Navigating the complexities of application configurations and sensitive data requires robust solutions. AWS offers two such services: AWS SSM Parameter Store and AWS Secrets Manager. Both services aim to centralize the management of secrets and application configurations in a secure, scalable, and automated manner. However, they differ in features, use cases, and pricing. Whether you are looking to streamline application deployments, enforce strict compliance standards, or enhance your overall security posture, these services offer a unified platform tailored to meet your secrets management needs.

Key features, differences, and similarities

Let’s compare SSM Parameter Store and Secrets Manager’s key features to see how they differ and where they overlap:

• Unified framework: Both SSM Parameter Store and Secrets Manager offer a centralized platform for secrets management. SSM Parameter Store is particularly geared towards hierarchical storage, which allows you to organize parameters in a tree-like structure. This is useful for segregating configurations based on environments, projects, or AWS accounts, making it easier to manage and locate secrets when needed. On the other hand, Secrets Manager focuses on rotating, managing, and retrieving secrets.
• Versioning versus secret rotation: SSM Parameter Store supports versioning of parameters, allowing you to keep track of changes and revert to previous versions if needed. Secrets Manager also supports versioning but extends this with automated rotation capabilities. You can configure Secrets Manager to rotate your secrets automatically using Lambda functions or built-in templates for common databases.
• Data types: SSM Parameter Store supports storing strings, lists, and secure strings. Secrets Manager is more focused on storing secrets such as API keys, passwords, and database credentials.
• Access control: Both services integrate seamlessly with IAM, providing granular access control. You can use IAM policies to specify who can access, create, modify, or delete your parameters or secrets. However, Secrets Manager offers more detailed audit tracking via CloudTrail.
• Monitoring and alerts: Both services can be monitored using CloudWatch, but Secrets Manager allows for more complex alerting scenarios, especially when integrated with CloudTrail for auditing. You can use CloudWatch alarms or events to trigger notifications or actions based on changes in your secrets or their rotation status. For example, you can send an email alert if a secret rotation fails or invoke a Lambda function to remediate a non-compliant secret.
• Encryption: Both services offer encryption using AWS KMS. However, Secrets Manager provides more granular control over encryption settings, including the ability to use customer master keys (CMKs) for added security.
• Pricing: SSM Parameter Store offers a free tier with optional premium features, whereas Secrets Manager does not have one, and there are additional costs for features such as secret rotation.
• Integration: Both services can be integrated with other AWS services and third-party applications, but Secrets Manager offers more native third-party integrations. For example, you can use Secrets Manager to store and rotate secrets for GitHub, Jenkins, and more.