PAM 
Non-Human Identities (NHIs) are identities used by machines, applications and automated processes. They rely on credentials — such as API keys, tokens, or certificates — to
6 min read
Published on November 12, 2025
Organizations rely on a combination of internal systems and cloud services to run their business, all of which require sensitive credentials, such as API keys, SSH keys, database passwords, tokens and certificates. Secrets management refers to the storing, organizing and managing of these credentials to prevent unauthorized access.
When mismanaged, secrets are high-value attack vectors, potentially leading to data breaches, credential theft and system compromise. According to the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 39% of secrets exposed in public Git repositories were tied to web application infrastructure. As companies scale and adopt multi-cloud strategies, secure secrets management is essential. The top secrets management tools offer centralized control, automatic rotation, audit logging and seamless integration with existing DevOps workflows.
In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the top eight secrets managers, their core features and what you should consider when choosing a secrets management tool.
1. Keeper Secrets Manager
Keeper Secrets Manager is a fully cloud-based secrets management solution that eliminates secrets sprawl using a zero-trust, zero-knowledge architecture. As part of KeeperPAM®, it integrates secrets management with password management, secure remote access, session monitoring and endpoint privilege management in a unified platform.
Keeper Secrets Manager supports hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructures, automates secrets rotation and integrates seamlessly into DevOps workflows through native tools, such as Commander CLI, Terraform, GitHub, Jenkins and Kubernetes. It also protects Non-Human Identities (NHIs), prevents secrets from being hardcoded in code and enforces strong security controls, including time-limited access, Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC) and audit logging.
| Keeper Secrets Manager Pros | Keeper Secrets Manager Cons |
|---|---|
| 100% cloud-based with no complex configurations or additional infrastructure | No self-hosted deployment option as of yet |
| Zero-trust and zero-knowledge encryption model | Does not provide Encryption as a Service (EAAS) |
| Native integrations with DevOps tools (GitHub, Jenkins, Kubernetes, Terraform, Commander CLI, etc.) | |
| Supports protection of NHIs without hardcoding secrets | |
| Multi-region support, ensuring global compliance across hybrid and cloud environments | |
| Unified integration with KeeperPAM for advanced PAM capabilities |
2. AWS Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is Amazon’s fully managed secrets management tool, built to help organizations securely store, retrieve and rotate secrets across AWS environments. It integrates with AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to encrypt secrets both at rest and in transit, using Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies for granular access control. It also supports cross-region replication, allowing secrets to be consistently managed across distributed environments.
Secrets rotation is automated with AWS Lambda, and secrets can be accessed via the AWS Console, CLI or SDKs. Although AWS Secrets Manager is useful for cloud-native organizations, its limitations include integration obstacles, difficulty for users unfamiliar with AWS and complex pricing.
| AWS Secrets Manager Pros | AWS Secrets Manager Cons |
|---|---|
| Secure data encryption with AWS KMS | Not zero knowledge — only zero trust |
| Automatic secret rotation, including customizable schedules with AWS Lambda | Not ideal for managing secrets outside of AWS environments |
| Granular access control through IAM | Integration challenges with some third-party tools may require extra configuration |
| Cross-region replication for distributed cloud environments | Difficult for users unfamiliar with AWS to configure properly |
| Supports human and machine access via AWS Console and SDKs, enabling integration with AWS services and apps | Pricing can be difficult to estimate and budget accurately, since organizations are charged $0.40 per secret per month |
| Requires another AWS service to rotate secrets | |
| No built-in end-user portal; interface is designed for technical users via the AWS Console or AWS CLI |
Did you know? Keeper integrates with AWS Secrets Manager to prevent secrets sprawl across multiple platforms and systems, including GitHub and Terraform. By centralizing your secrets in your Keeper Vault, you gain full visibility, simplify audits and strengthen security.
3. HashiCorp Vault
HashiCorp Vault is a source-available secrets management tool made for organizations with complex, high-security environments. It supports encryption-as-a-service and dynamic secrets, with credentials generated and automatically rotated after use. HashiCorp Vault integrates across the application lifecycle through an API; however, while many enterprise-grade integrations exist, some are community-maintained, making HashiCorp Vault difficult to deploy and manage. Most of its interfaces are API-based with a limited web UI, requiring intentional planning for deployment, scaling and policy management.
| HashiCorp Vault Pros | HashiCorp Vault Cons |
|---|---|
| Supports dynamic secrets with automatic rotation | More complex to deploy and manage compared to other solutions |
| Strong RBAC and policy-based access controls | Web UI lacks advanced features and is mostly API-driven |
| Highly scalable, with support for performance and disaster recovery replication | Replication setup can be tedious, increasing the risk of misconfiguration |
| Broad API-driven integration potential | Some integrations are community-maintained, making them less reliable for enterprises |
| Flexible deployment in multiple environments | No longer fully open-source; now licensed under the Business Source License (BSL) |
4. Azure Key Vault
Azure Key Vault is a cloud-native secrets management tool that centralizes the secure storage and management of secrets, keys and certificates within the Microsoft ecosystem. It integrates with Microsoft Entra ID authentication, Azure RBAC and Key Vault access policies, and it supports Hardware Security Module (HSM) encryption. Azure Key Vault is designed for scalability by eliminating the need for developers to embed secrets in code.
With built-in support for audit logging and secret replication, Azure Key Vault works especially well for organizations already invested in the Microsoft Azure ecosystem. However, the platform can be a challenging adjustment for users unfamiliar with Azure and is not as compatible with non-Microsoft platforms and other third-party tools.
| Azure Key Vault Pros | Azure Key Vault Cons |
|---|---|
| Fully managed, cloud-native platform tightly integrated with Microsoft services | Complex setup for users unfamiliar with the Azure ecosystem |
| Centralized management and storage of secrets, keys and certificates | Difficult to rotate passwords and synchronize keys |
| Strong access control with Entra ID, RBAC and access policies | Limited support for dynamic, short-lived secrets |
| Supports audit logging through Azure Monitor and Event Hub | Compatibility issues with non-Microsoft cloud platforms and third-party vendors |
| Automated certificate lifecycle management | Lacks mobile support and multi-platform flexibility |
5. GCP Secrets Manager
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Secrets Manager is a fully managed secrets management tool that allows organizations to securely store and access secrets. These can be stored as either binary blobs or plaintext strings. GCP Secrets Manager encrypts all secrets both at rest and in transit using Google-managed keys by default, with the option to use Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK) for greater control. It also supports secret versioning, allowing organizations to revert to previous versions in the event of security incidents or misconfigurations.
GCP Secrets Manager is accessible through the Google Cloud console, CLI and API, with a user-friendly interface that’s consistent with other Google tools. However, it lacks advanced features like dynamic secrets, has minimal support for hybrid environments and has few third-party integrations due to its more recent appearance on the market.
| GCP Secrets Manager Pros | GCP Secrets Manager Cons |
|---|---|
| Native integration with Google Cloud services | Primarily designed for Google Cloud, with limited support for hybrid or non-Google cloud environments |
| Stores secrets as binary blobs or plaintext, with versioning and auditing capabilities | Minimal third-party support and integrations compared to its competitors |
| Encrypts secrets using Google-managed or customer-managed keys | Reliance on Google-managed keys may raise compliance concerns |
| User-friendly interface consistent with other Google tools | Few reviews and little community feedback since it’s a relatively new tool |
| Supports configurable secret rotation and regional replication | Lacks advanced features like dynamic secrets |
| May require extra configuration for advanced rotation workflows in large organizations |
6. Doppler
Doppler is a cloud-based secrets management tool built for developers to centralize secrets across multiple projects and infrastructures. It integrates with major platforms like AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes and CI/CD tools, while offering cross-platform CLI support for macOS, Linux and Windows. Doppler has an intuitive UI and transparent pricing, making it a popular option for teams seeking to streamline their secrets management. While it simplifies developer workflows, Doppler’s SaaS-only model and limited enterprise features may raise concerns for organizations requiring advanced security and compliance.
| Doppler Pros | Doppler Cons |
|---|---|
| Simple and intuitive for developers to adopt | Secrets are encrypted, but customers cannot manage their own encryption keys |
| Seamless integrations with many third-party tools (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.) | SaaS-only (no self-hosting or on-premises deployment options) |
| Affordable and transparent pricing model, especially ideal for smaller teams | Limited advanced enterprise features |
| Cross-platform CLI and API support for multiple-OS workflows | Stronger fit for small-to-mid teams; may lack scalability features required by larger enterprises |
| Improves productivity and collaboration by centralizing secrets across environments | Closed-source with vendor lock-in considerations |
7. Infisical
Infisical is an open-source secrets management tool made for modern DevOps workflows. It supports both self-hosted and cloud-based environments, providing organizations with flexibility in how they manage their secrets. Infisical provides a centralized dashboard and API support, making it straightforward, developer-friendly and easy to integrate into CI/CD pipelines. It natively integrates with Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform and GitHub Actions, allowing teams to securely inject secrets directly into development and production environments. However, Infisical lacks advanced automation features that large-scale enterprises need, and its self-hosted setup can be time-consuming for IT teams to configure.
| Infisical Pros | Infisical Cons |
|---|---|
| Fully open-source and self-hostable | Supports only PostgreSQL for self-hosted deployments |
| Offers secrets rotation, storage and access control | Paid plans come with usage limits for service accounts, potentially creating hidden costs |
| Natively integrates with Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, GitHub Actions and other DevOps tools | Documentation gaps exist, mainly about how to handle retries or failures |
| Centralized dashboard allows developers to manage secrets based on predefined roles and permissions | Setting up the self-hosted option can take several hours to provision, authenticate and configure |
| Cloud-managed option available | Not ideal for large-scale enterprises due to lack of advanced automation features |
8. Akeyless
Akeyless is a cloud-native, SaaS-based secrets management platform designed for scalability and simplified secure access control. It uses a secure gateway architecture, simplifying deployment across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. With pay-as-you-go pricing and minimal setup, Akeyless appeals to organizations looking for fast, low-maintenance secrets management without self-hosting. It also supports advanced features such as dynamic secrets, RBAC, Single Sign-On (SSO) integration and audit logging. However, as a closed-source solution, it may not meet the needs of organizations that require self-hosting or source code transparency.
| Akeyless Pros | Akeyless Cons |
|---|---|
| Cloud-native, SaaS model with no hardware or ongoing infrastructure maintenance | Closed-source and not available for self-hosting |
| Easy deployment with minimal time spent on setup | Limited infrastructure control compared to on-prem solutions |
| Secure gateway design with no inbound connections | Some users report that the UI is unintuitive and the documentation is unclear |
| Cost-effective for growing teams with pay-as-you-go pricing |
What to consider when choosing a secrets manager
Choosing the best secrets manager for your organization is essential for securing your infrastructure, ensuring compliance and improving developer productivity. Here are the key factors to consider:
- Security architecture: A strong secrets manager should be built on a zero-trust, zero-knowledge model, ensuring the provider can never access your secrets. It should encrypt secrets when they’re both at rest and in transit using strong cryptographic standards like AES-256.
- Automation: Modern infrastructure requires secrets to be dynamic, so a secrets manager should support automatic secrets rotation. It should enforce Just-in-Time (JIT) provisioning to create temporary, on-demand credentials that expire automatically, reducing the risk of long-lived access. In addition, the secrets manager should integrate seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines so secrets can be securely injected into deployment workflows without manual intervention.
- Developer-friendliness: To reduce friction and encourage organizational adoption, a secrets manager should include SDKs and APIs for integration with custom applications. It should also have CLI tools that allow developers to inject secrets locally. The secrets manager should be cloud-native, supporting modern environments like Kubernetes and serverless architectures to eliminate unnecessary obstacles for developers as they work.
- Secrets visibility and auditability: A good secrets manager should offer full transparency and control with comprehensive audit trails to track every change made to secrets. Granular access control through RBAC ensures only authorized users can view or change certain secrets. In addition, the secrets manager should have built-in compliance features and integration with a PAM solution.
- Ease of deployment: Secrets management should be quick to set up and scale, no matter the model (SaaS, self-hosted or hybrid). The secrets manager should support multi-cloud infrastructures and distributed workforces without requiring complex configurations. Having a low-maintenance architecture is very important as your organization expands, reducing the time and effort your DevOps teams spend.
- Integration: The secrets manager should integrate seamlessly with existing tools and workflows like Terraform and Ansible for automated secrets rotation and GitHub Actions or Jenkins for pipeline integration. The secrets manager should also have native support for Kubernetes, which is especially useful if you deploy applications in containers or use automated tools in DevOps workflows.
Choose the right secrets manager for your stack
When searching for the best secrets manager, you must find one that aligns with your organization’s security architecture and compliance requirements. Whether you operate in a multi-cloud environment or support globally distributed teams, it’s essential to have a secure and scalable secrets management tool. Since unmanaged secrets introduce significant security risks, you must adopt a solution that protects sensitive secrets without compromising the speed of development.
Keeper Secrets Manager stands apart from the competition for its ease of deployment, zero-trust design and ability to scale with growing engineering teams. Combined with KeeperPAM, Keeper offers a comprehensive secrets and privileged access management solution for organizations seeking complete access control and utmost security.
Request a demo of Keeper Secrets Manager to see how it can help eliminate secrets sprawl and protect your IT infrastructure.
Frequently asked questions
What are secrets management tools?
Secrets management tools securely store, manage and control access to sensitive credentials, including API keys, passwords, certificates and tokens. These tools prevent unauthorized access to applications and systems by encrypting secrets both at rest and in transit, enabling granular access controls and automatically rotating secrets.
How does secrets management differ from password management?
Secrets management focuses on securing machine-to-machine credentials used by applications and infrastructure, whereas password management is designed for human users. While both tools protect sensitive information, secrets management is made for dynamic environments and automation, while password management is intended for individual user access.
