Pros of sops

• Supports multiple cloud providers and key management systems (AWS, GCP, Azure, PGP)
• Encrypts specific values within files, allowing version control of encrypted files
• Can be used with various file formats (YAML, JSON, ENV, INI)

Cons of sops

• Requires manual encryption and decryption of files
• Less integrated with AWS-specific workflows
• May require additional setup for non-AWS environments

Code comparison

sops:

myapp:
    db:
        user: ENC[AES256_GCM,data:...]=
        password: ENC[AES256_GCM,data:...]=

aws-vault:

$ aws-vault exec myprofile -- aws s3 ls

Key differences

• sops focuses on file-based encryption, while aws-vault manages AWS credentials
• sops is more versatile for multi-cloud environments
• aws-vault provides a simpler workflow for AWS-specific tasks
• sops requires manual file handling, while aws-vault automates credential management

Use cases

• Use sops for encrypting configuration files across multiple cloud providers
• Choose aws-vault for streamlined AWS credential management and command execution

Pros of Vault

• More comprehensive secret management solution, supporting various backends and authentication methods
• Offers advanced features like dynamic secrets, encryption as a service, and audit logging
• Suitable for enterprise-level deployments and multi-cloud environments

Cons of Vault

• More complex setup and configuration compared to aws-vault
• Requires additional infrastructure and resources to run
• Steeper learning curve for users and administrators

Code Comparison

aws-vault:

aws-vault exec myprofile -- aws s3 ls

Vault:

vault kv get -field=AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID secret/aws/creds
vault kv get -field=AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY secret/aws/creds
export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="..."
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="..."
aws s3 ls

Summary

aws-vault is a lightweight tool specifically designed for managing AWS credentials, while Vault is a full-featured secret management platform. aws-vault excels in simplicity and ease of use for AWS-specific tasks, whereas Vault offers broader functionality and scalability for diverse secret management needs across multiple environments and services. The choice between the two depends on the scope of your project, infrastructure requirements, and the complexity of your secret management needs.

Pros of sealed-secrets

• Designed specifically for Kubernetes, providing native integration and security for K8s secrets
• Allows version control of encrypted secrets, enhancing collaboration and auditing
• Supports multiple encryption keys and key rotation for improved security

Cons of sealed-secrets

• Limited to Kubernetes environments, less versatile for non-K8s use cases
• Requires additional setup and management of the SealedSecret controller
• May have a steeper learning curve for teams not familiar with Kubernetes concepts

Code Comparison

sealed-secrets:

apiVersion: bitnami.com/v1alpha1
kind: SealedSecret
metadata:
  name: mysecret
spec:
  encryptedData:
    secret-key: AgBy3i4OJSWK+PiTySYZZA==

aws-vault:

$ aws-vault exec myprofile -- aws s3 ls
$ aws-vault add myprofile
$ aws-vault login myprofile

Summary

sealed-secrets is tailored for Kubernetes environments, offering robust secret management within K8s clusters. It excels in version control and key management but is limited to Kubernetes use cases. aws-vault, on the other hand, focuses on AWS credential management and is more versatile for general AWS interactions, but lacks the specific Kubernetes integration that sealed-secrets provides.

Pros of Blackbox

• Supports multiple version control systems (Git, Mercurial, Subversion)
• Can encrypt entire files, not just specific credentials
• Works with any type of file, not limited to AWS credentials

Cons of Blackbox

• Requires GPG for encryption, which can be complex to set up
• Less focused on cloud service credentials management
• May require more manual intervention for key rotation

Code Comparison

Blackbox (encrypting a file):

blackbox_edit_start secret.txt
# Edit the file
blackbox_edit_end secret.txt

aws-vault (using temporary credentials):

aws-vault exec myprofile -- aws s3 ls

Key Differences

• Scope: Blackbox is a general-purpose encryption tool for VCS, while aws-vault focuses specifically on AWS credential management.
• Encryption: Blackbox uses GPG for file encryption, aws-vault uses the OS keychain for credential storage.
• Usage: Blackbox requires manual encryption/decryption of files, aws-vault automates credential retrieval and rotation.
• Integration: aws-vault integrates tightly with AWS services, while Blackbox works with any file in version control.

Both tools aim to improve security practices, but aws-vault is more specialized for AWS environments, while Blackbox offers broader applicability across different version control systems and file types.