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Managing Credentials - CrewAI

Introduction

Managing credentials is crucial for ensuring the security of your applications and services. Proper management of credentials includes storing them securely, rotating them regularly, and ensuring they are not exposed in code repositories or logs. In this tutorial, we will cover best practices for managing credentials with detailed explanations and examples.

Storing Credentials Securely

One of the most important aspects of managing credentials is storing them securely. Here are some methods to store credentials safely:

  • Environment Variables
  • Secret Management Services
  • Encrypted Files

Environment Variables

Environment variables are a simple and effective way to store credentials. They can be accessed by your application without hardcoding them in your source code.

Example:
Setting an environment variable in a Unix-based system:
$ export DATABASE_PASSWORD=supersecret
Accessing the variable in your application:
password = os.getenv('DATABASE_PASSWORD')

Secret Management Services

Using dedicated secret management services like AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, or HashiCorp Vault can provide enhanced security and manageability.

Example:
Storing and retrieving a secret using AWS Secrets Manager:
# Store a secret
aws secretsmanager create-secret --name MySecret --secret-string "supersecret"

# Retrieve a secret
aws secretsmanager get-secret-value --secret-id MySecret

Encrypted Files

Credentials can also be stored in encrypted files, which can be decrypted at runtime by your application.

Example:
Encrypting a file using OpenSSL:
$ openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -salt -in secrets.txt -out secrets.txt.enc
Decrypting the file at runtime:
password = subprocess.check_output(["openssl", "enc", "-aes-256-cbc", "-d", "-in", "secrets.txt.enc"])

Rotating Credentials

Regularly rotating credentials reduces the risk of them being compromised. Automated rotation can be implemented using secret management services.

Example:
Rotating secrets in AWS Secrets Manager:
aws secretsmanager rotate-secret --secret-id MySecret --rotation-lambda-arn arn:aws:lambda:region:account-id:function:MyRotationFunction

Ensuring Credentials Are Not Exposed

It is crucial to ensure that credentials are not exposed in code repositories, logs, or error messages. Here are some best practices:

  • Use .gitignore to exclude credential files from version control.
  • Redact sensitive information from logs and error messages.
  • Conduct regular code reviews and security audits.
Example:
Adding a credentials file to .gitignore:
echo "credentials.yml" >> .gitignore

Conclusion

Managing credentials securely is an essential aspect of maintaining the security of your applications and services. By storing credentials securely, rotating them regularly, and ensuring they are not exposed, you can significantly reduce the risk of credential compromise. Implement these best practices in your development workflow to enhance your security posture.