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Storing Secrets in Secrets Manager¶

The KV (Key/Value) secret engine stores static secrets. It is an encrypted, versioned store for passwords, API tokens, and configuration keys.

What the KV Engine Gives You¶

Feature Description
Encrypted storage Keeps sensitive text safe at rest and in transit.
Version control Tracks every version of a secret, so you can roll back.
Drop-in compatibility Matches standard Vault KV paths and commands.

Before You Start¶

You need a running Secrets Manager instance and a token that can enable engines. See the Deployment Guide.

Step 1: Sign In¶

Sign in to AccuKnox Secrets Manager.

The Secrets Manager sign-in screen

You land on the Secret Engines dashboard.

The Secret Engines dashboard

Click Enable new engine to set up the engine you need.

Step 2: Enable the KV Engine¶

Under Secrets Engines, select KV (Key/Value).

Choosing KV from the list of secret engines

Fill in these fields:

Field Value
Version 2
Path secret

Keep Version at 2. Version 2 gives you versioning and rollback.

Choose a path that means something

The path can stand for a team, an environment, or a portal. To hold the credentials for your development environment and its backend, frontend, and database components, create a path such as development-env. Store all related secrets under it.

This guide uses the path secret.

Click Enable Engine.

The KV engine configuration form

Step 3: Create a Secret¶

You land on the secret/ engine page. Click Create secret.

The empty secret engine page with the Create secret button

Fill in the secret:

  1. Set Path for this secret to myaccuknox/test.
  2. Add the key username with the value Admin.
  3. Add the key password with your own value.
  4. Click Save.

The secret path names the thing you are storing. Create one path per component, such as frontend, backend, or database, and store its credentials there.

The create-secret form with two key/value pairs

Step 4: Secret Versioning¶

Go back to secret/. The path myaccuknox/test now appears in the list. Click it to see the keys.

Version 1¶

The original secret version.

{
  "username": "Admin",
  "password": "<your-password>"
}

Reading version 1 of the stored secret

Version 2¶

  1. Click Create new version.
  2. Change the username or the password, then save it.
{
  "Password": "<your-password>",
  "Username": "Admin2"
}

Creating version 2 of the secret

Version 3¶

Repeat the same steps to save a third version. Each save adds a version and keeps the ones before it.

Step 5: Delete a Version¶

You can delete a single version without losing the rest of the history.

  1. Click Delete.
  2. Select the version to delete.
  3. Confirm the deletion.

Deleting a version of the secret

Version History¶

AccuKnox Secrets Manager keeps every past version of a secret. You can switch between versions, view the full change history, or diff two versions side by side.

The version history of a secret

A typical history reads:

  • Version 1 is the original secret version.
  • Version 2 is a deleted version, marked with a red cross.
  • Version 3 is the updated version of the secret.

Note

Secret Versioning gives you visibility into secret changes and version history.

Delete is not destroy

A deleted version stays recoverable until you destroy it. Use Destroy when you must remove the data for good.

Next Steps¶

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