add managing AWS secrets blog article

1 files changed, 136 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/content/blog/aws/secrets.md b/content/blog/aws/secrets.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..476d235
--- /dev/null
+++ b/content/blog/aws/secrets.md
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+---
+title: Managing AWS secrets
+description: with the CLI and with terraform/opentofu
+date: 2024-08-13
+tags:
+- aws
+- opentofu
+- terraform
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+Managing secrets in AWS is not an everyday task that allows me to naturally remember the specifics when I need them, especially the `--name` and `--secret-id` CLI inconsistency. I found I was lacking some simple notes that would prevent me from having to search the web in the future, here they are.
+
+## CLI
+
+### Creating secrets
+
+From a simple string:
+
+``` shell
+aws --profile common secretsmanager create-secret \
+    --name test-string \
+    --secret-string 'test'
+```
+
+From a text file:
+
+``` shell
+aws --profile common secretsmanager create-secret \
+    --name test-text \
+    --secret-string "$(cat ~/Downloads/adyxax.2024-07-31.private-key.pem)"
+```
+
+For binary file we `base64` encode the data:
+
+``` shell
+aws --profile common secretsmanager create-secret \
+    --name test-binary \
+    --secret-binary "$(cat ~/Downloads/some-blob|base64)"
+```
+
+### Updating secrets
+
+Beware that all the other aws secretsmanager commands use the `--secret-id` flag instead of the `--name` we needed when creating the secret.
+
+Update a secret string with:
+
+``` shell
+aws --profile common secretsmanager update-secret \
+    --secret-id test-string \
+    --secret-string 'test'
+```
+
+### Reading secrets
+
+Listing:
+
+``` shell
+aws --profile common secretsmanager list-secrets | jq -r '[.SecretList[].Name]'
+```
+
+Getting a secret value:
+
+``` shell
+aws --profile common secretsmanager get-secret-value --secret-id test-string
+```
+
+### Deleting secrets
+
+``` shell
+aws --profile common secretsmanager delete-secret --secret-id test-string
+```
+
+## Terraform
+
+### Resource
+
+Secret string:
+
+``` hcl
+resource "random_password" "main" {
+  length  = 64
+  special = false
+  lifecycle {
+    ignore_changes = [special]
+  }
+}
+
+resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret" "main" {
+  name = "grafana-admin-password"
+}
+
+resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret_version" "main" {
+  secret_id     = aws_secretsmanager_secret.main.id
+  secret_string = random_password.main.result
+}
+```
+
+Secret binary:
+
+``` hcl
+resource "random_bytes" "main" {
+  length = 32
+}
+
+resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret" "main" {
+  name = "data-encryption-key"
+}
+
+resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret_version" "main" {
+  secret_id     = aws_secretsmanager_secret.main.id
+  secret_binary = random_bytes.main.base64
+}
+```
+
+### Datasource
+
+``` hcl
+data "aws_secretsmanager_secret_version" "main" {
+  secret_id = "test"
+}
+```
+
+Using the datasource differs if it contains a `secret_string` or a `secret_binary`. In most cases you will know your secret data therefore know which one to use. If for some reason you do not, this might be one of the rare legitimate use cases for the [try function](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/language/functions/try):
+
+``` hcl
+try(
+  data.aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.main.secret_binary,
+  data.aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.main.secret_string,
+)
+```
+
+## Conclusion
+
+Once upon a time I wrote many small and short articles like this one but for some reason stopped. I will try to take on this habit again.