K8s Secret
A Secret is a K8s resource for storing sensitive data (passwords/keys/certificates), base64-encoded, mountable as volumes or environment variables.
Purpose
Manage sensitive configuration securely, safer than ConfigMaps.
Mechanism
Secrets store sensitive key-value pairs (base64 encoding, not encryption). Pods consume them as environment variables or mounted volumes. Access must be constrained with RBAC. Production best practice: external secret management (Vault/Sealed Secrets) + encrypted storage.
Use cases
- Secret management
- Sensitive configuration
- K8s security
Related terms
ConfigMap
A ConfigMap is a K8s key-value resource for non-sensitive configuration, injected into Pods as environment variables or mounted volumes. GLOSSARY
Pepper
A pepper is a server-side secret added during password hashing (unlike a salt, it is globally shared and kept secret), raising the difficulty of offline attacks. GLOSSARY