aws-secrets-rotation

AWS Secrets Rotation

Automate rotation of secrets, credentials, and API keys using AWS Secrets Manager and Lambda.

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to implement automated secrets rotation, manage credentials securely, or comply with security policies requiring regular key rotation.

Supported Secret Types

AWS Services

• RDS database credentials
• DocumentDB credentials
• Redshift credentials
• ElastiCache credentials

Third-Party Services

• API keys
• OAuth tokens
• SSH keys
• Custom credentials

Secrets Manager Setup

Create a Secret

# Create RDS secret
aws secretsmanager create-secret \
  --name prod/db/mysql \
  --description "Production MySQL credentials" \
  --secret-string '{
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "CHANGE_ME",
    "engine": "mysql",
    "host": "mydb.cluster-abc.us-east-1.rds.amazonaws.com",
    "port": 3306,
    "dbname": "myapp"
  }'

# Create API key secret
aws secretsmanager create-secret \
  --name prod/api/stripe \
  --secret-string '{
    "api_key": "sk_live_xxxxx",
    "webhook_secret": "whsec_xxxxx"
  }'

# Create secret from file
aws secretsmanager create-secret \
  --name prod/ssh/private-key \
  --secret-binary fileb://~/.ssh/id_rsa

Retrieve Secrets

# Get secret value
aws secretsmanager get-secret-value \
  --secret-id prod/db/mysql \
  --query 'SecretString' --output text

# Get specific field
aws secretsmanager get-secret-value \
  --secret-id prod/db/mysql \
  --query 'SecretString' --output text | \
  jq -r '.password'

# Get binary secret
aws secretsmanager get-secret-value \
  --secret-id prod/ssh/private-key \
  --query 'SecretBinary' --output text | \
  base64 -d > private-key.pem

Automatic Rotation Setup

Enable RDS Rotation

# Enable automatic rotation (30 days)
aws secretsmanager rotate-secret \
  --secret-id prod/db/mysql \
  --rotation-lambda-arn arn:aws:lambda:us-east-1:123456789012:function:SecretsManagerRDSMySQLRotation \
  --rotation-rules AutomaticallyAfterDays=30

# Rotate immediately
aws secretsmanager rotate-secret \
  --secret-id prod/db/mysql

# Check rotation status
aws secretsmanager describe-secret \
  --secret-id prod/db/mysql \
  --query 'RotationEnabled'