How to Access AWS Secrets Manager Programmatically with C#, Java, Python and JavaScript

AWS Secrets Manager is a fully managed service that helps you easily store and retrieve credentials, API keys, and other sensitive data in a secure way. It integrates seamlessly with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to ensure that only authorized users and applications can access your secrets. Beyond simple storage, it also offers basic security practices like automatic rotation of secrets.

The main idea of using AWS Secrets Manager is that you no longer need to hardcode sensitive information in your applications or configuration files. Instead, you can reference them securely and fetch them when needed. This practice, sharply reduces the risk of exposure and enhances overall security.

Creating AWS secrets in the AWS Secret Manager is explained here in the official AWS documentation. If we briefly summarize the steps there:

• Sign in to AWS Console and navigate to the Secrets Manager dashboard.
• Click on Store a new secret.
• Choose the type of secret: You can select options like database credentials, API keys, or custom key-value pairs.
• Enter the secret information: For example, you could store a username, password, or other sensitive data.
• Select a secret name: This is how you’ll reference the secret in your code.
• Configure automatic rotation (optional): You can set up automatic rotation of the secret using AWS Lambda to ensure it stays up to date.
• Review and store the secret. Once stored, AWS will encrypt it using KMS (Key Management Service).

Accessing Secrets Programmatically

Now that we’ve stored the secret, let’s explore how to access it in various programming languages such as C#, Java, Python, and JavaScript.

Accessing Secrets in C#

To fetch secrets in C#, use the AWS SDK for .NET:

using Amazon.SecretsManager;
using Amazon.SecretsManager.Model;

public class SecretsManagerExample
{
    private static readonly string secretName = "MySecretName";
    private static readonly string region = "us-west-2";
    
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var client = new AmazonSecretsManagerClient(Amazon.RegionEndpoint.USWest2);
        var request = new GetSecretValueRequest
        {
            SecretId = secretName
        };

        try
        {
            var response = client.GetSecretValueAsync(request).Result;
            Console.WriteLine("Secret: " + response.SecretString);
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(e.Message);
        }
    }
}

This example retrieves the secret stored under “MySecretName” and prints it to the console.

Accessing Secrets in Java

Using the AWS SDK for Java, you can fetch secrets like this:

import com.amazonaws.services.secretsmanager.AWSSecretsManager;
import com.amazonaws.services.secretsmanager.AWSSecretsManagerClientBuilder;
import com.amazonaws.services.secretsmanager.model.GetSecretValueRequest;
import com.amazonaws.services.secretsmanager.model.GetSecretValueResult;

public class SecretsManagerExample {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String secretName = "MySecretName";
        String region = "us-west-2";

        AWSSecretsManager client = AWSSecretsManagerClientBuilder.standard()
            .withRegion(region)
            .build();

        GetSecretValueRequest request = new GetSecretValueRequest().withSecretId(secretName);
        GetSecretValueResult result = client.getSecretValue(request);

        String secret = result.getSecretString();
        System.out.println("Secret: " + secret);
    }
}

Just like in the C# example, this code retrieves and prints the secret.

Accessing Secrets in Python

For Python, you can use boto3, the AWS SDK for Python:

import boto3
import json

def get_secret():
    secret_name = "MySecretName"
    region_name = "us-west-2"

    client = boto3.client("secretsmanager", region_name=region_name)

    try:
        response = client.get_secret_value(SecretId=secret_name)
        secret = response['SecretString']
        print("Secret: ", secret)
    except Exception as e:
        print(e)

get_secret()

The Python code uses the boto3 library to access and print the stored secret.

Accessing Secrets in JavaScript (Node.js)

In Node.js, you can use the AWS SDK to retrieve secrets like this:

const AWS = require('aws-sdk');
const secretsManager = new AWS.SecretsManager({ region: 'us-west-2' });

async function getSecret() {
    const secretName = 'MySecretName';

    try {
        const data = await secretsManager.getSecretValue({ SecretId: secretName }).promise();
        console.log('Secret:', data.SecretString);
    } catch (err) {
        console.log(err);
    }
}

getSecret();

This snippet connects to AWS Secrets Manager, fetches the secret, and logs it to the console.

Conclusion

Using AWS Secrets Manager is a simple and secure way to manage sensitive data in your applications. Whether you prefer working through the AWS Console, CLI, or programmatically, you can easily integrate Secrets Manager into your projects. By using the examples in C#, Java, Python, and JavaScript, you now have a solid starting point for accessing and using your secrets safely.

Securing sensitive information doesn’t have to be complicated—AWS Secrets Manager makes it easier to keep your application’s secrets safe without compromising convenience or performance.

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