Managing Kubernetes Secrets with k8sec (with examples)

k8sec is a command-line tool designed to simplify the management of Kubernetes secrets. With this tool, developers and operators can perform various operations related to Kubernetes secrets like listing, setting, unsetting, loading, and dumping secrets. The tool comes in handy for day-to-day secret management tasks, providing a streamlined way to handle sensitive data securely within a Kubernetes environment.

Use case 1: List all secrets

Code:

k8sec list

Motivation:

Listing all secrets in a Kubernetes environment is a common task when you need an overview of the existing secrets. This helps administrators quickly audit what secrets are present and ensure that secret management aligns with best practices.

Explanation:

• k8sec: Indicates the use of the k8sec command-line tool.
• list: This is the subcommand that tells k8sec to retrieve and display all the secrets currently available in the environment.

Example Output:

NAME                DATA      AGE
my-secret           2         10d
another-secret      1         5h
custom-secret       3         2w

Use case 2: List a specific secret as a base64-encoded string

Code:

k8sec list secret_name --base64

Motivation:

There are times when you need to see the value of a specific secret in its encoded form, especially when you’re troubleshooting or verifying encoded data such as API keys or tokens. This use case helps maintain data security by providing access to encoded information without revealing the plaintext content directly.

Explanation:

• k8sec: Calls the k8sec command.
• list: Requests to list the contents of a specific secret.
• secret_name: Replace with the actual name of the secret you want to list.
• --base64: An option that outputs the secret’s content in base64 encoding format.

Example Output:

YXBpX2tleV9oZXJlCg==

Use case 3: Set a secret’s value

Code:

k8sec set secret_name key=value

Motivation:

Setting or updating a secret’s value is crucial when deploying new configurations or updating sensitive information like passwords. This use case allows for quick updates to secrets, ensuring that applications are accessing the right credentials promptly.

Explanation:

• k8sec: Initiates the k8sec tool.
• set: The subcommand for defining or updating a secret value.
• secret_name: The specific secret where the key-value pair will be set.
• key=value: Defines the specific key and its corresponding value to be stored in the secret.

Example Output:

Secret 'secret_name' updated with key 'key'.

Use case 4: Set a base64-encoded value

Code:

k8sec set --base64 secret_name key=encoded_value

Motivation:

In scenarios where encoded values need setting, such as when values are initially stored securely as base64 strings, this command ensures the value is directly applied without intermediate decoding, thus preserving data integrity.

Explanation:

• k8sec: Uses the k8sec tool.
• set: Indicates setting a value in a secret.
• --base64: Signals that the value provided is already encoded in base64.
• secret_name: The secret to which you’re applying the encoded value.
• key=encoded_value: The key paired with a base64-encoded string to be stored.

Example Output:

Secret 'secret_name' updated with encoded key 'key'.

Use case 5: Unset a secret

Code:

k8sec unset secret_name

Motivation:

Removing a secret’s value becomes necessary when its use is unofficial or it’s outdated, contributing to minimizing security risks by not storing redundant or invalid sensitive data.

Explanation:

• k8sec: Activates the k8sec utility.
• unset: The subcommand to remove an existing secret.
• secret_name: The name of the secret to remove from the Kubernetes store.

Example Output:

Secret 'secret_name' has been deleted.

Use case 6: Load secrets from a file

Code:

k8sec load -f path/to/file secret_name

Motivation:

Loading secrets from a file allows batch processing, very efficient for initial deployments or multiple updates at once. It helps manage complex configurations easily by maintaining them in files.

Explanation:

• k8sec: Calls the k8sec application.
• load: The command to import secret data from a storage file.
• -f path/to/file: Designates the file path that contains secret key-value pairs.
• secret_name: The name for the new or existing secret to update with file contents.

Example Output:

Secret 'secret_name' loaded from 'path/to/file'.

Use case 7: Dump secrets to a file

Code:

k8sec dump -f path/to/file secret_name

Motivation:

Exporting secrets to a file is useful for backups, sharing configurations between team members, or migrating secrets across environments safely and efficiently. This ensures that you maintain a record of current secret values as needed.

Explanation:

• k8sec: Executes the k8sec command line tool.
• dump: The action to export secret data to a file.
• -f path/to/file: Specifies the destination file path for storing secret information.
• secret_name: The name of the secret from which data will be exported.

Example Output:

Secret 'secret_name' dumped to 'path/to/file'.

Conclusion:

The k8sec tool provides a suite of operations that greatly simplify Kubernetes secret management. Each command and its specific flags are tailored to facilitate a use case, from listing and updating secrets to encoding, decoding, and transferring them efficiently. With k8sec, developers and DevOps teams can ensure Kubernetes environments are manageable, secure, and scalable.