Overview
Secrets are similar to ConfigMaps but are specifically designed to hold sensitive data. Using a Secret allows you to keep confidential information out of your application code and Pod specifications.
Key Features
- Encoding: Data in a Secret is base64-encoded (note: this is not encryption).
- Security: Kubernetes can be configured to encrypt Secrets at rest in etcd.
- Access Control: Access to Secrets can be restricted using RBAC (Role-Based Access Control).
Best Practices
- Use external secret managers (like AWS Secrets Manager or HashiCorp Vault) for enhanced security.
- Avoid committing Secret YAML files to version control.