In fast-moving engineering environments, managing secrets like API keys, tokens, and credentials is often messy. Developers deal with secrets scattered across local machines, dev environments, CI/CD pipelines, and containerized workloads. Relying on hardcoded values or homegrown scripts can lead to security vulnerabilities, broken builds, and limited visibility.
Akeyless is a developer-first secrets management tool built to eliminate these bottlenecks—without compromising on speed or flexibility. With native CLI, SDKs, APIs, and GitOps support, Akeyless integrates seamlessly into modern toolchains so engineering teams can focus on building software, not managing secrets.
Why Developers Need a Dedicated Secrets Manager
Generic secrets managers often fall short for developers. Here’s why a tailored solution matters:
- Development environments are dynamic. Secrets rotate frequently between local setups, test clusters, and cloud services.
- Secrets need to be programmatically accessible. Whether in pre-commit hooks or runtime containers, secrets should be retrievable without manual steps.
- Tooling needs to fit into existing workflows. If it can’t plug into Git, Docker, or Terraform, it adds friction.
- Security shouldn’t mean slower delivery. Managing least-privilege access and secret lifecycle policies must be easy to implement without slowing down builds or deployments.
Akeyless addresses these needs with a platform that feels native to how developers already work.
What Makes Akeyless a Developer-Friendly Secrets Management Platform?
Akeyless was built with developers in mind—providing the tools and interfaces that support how modern teams ship software.
✅ CLI, SDKs, and REST APIs
Developers can use the Akeyless CLI to pull secrets during builds, authenticate sessions, or manage credentials. SDKs for Python, Go, Node.js, and others allow secrets to be fetched within applications or automation scripts. A robust REST API gives full access to secrets, auth methods, and policy configurations.
✅ GitOps and IaC Native
Manage secrets the same way you manage code. Akeyless supports GitOps workflows by allowing secrets to be referenced via tags and stored externally from infrastructure code. Integration with tools like Terraform, Helm, and ArgoCD makes it easy to deploy secrets declaratively and in sync with your application lifecycle.
✅ Automated SecretInjection
Eliminate the need for secrets to ever be stored in source code or disk. Akeyless enables secure injection of secrets directly into runtime environments—supporting ephemeral workloads like containers, Lambda functions, or jobs in Kubernetes.
✅ Local Development Support
Use the CLI to pull secrets into.env files or set local environment variables during testing. Developers can work securely without needing direct access to production secrets or credentials.
✅ Native CI/CD Integration
Inject secrets into pipelines without exposing them to logs or intermediate layers. Akeyless integrates with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, and others to inject secrets securely at runtime, not commit time.
✅ Fine-Grained Access Control
Use RBAC and dynamic access policies to control which developers or services can access which secrets. Integrate with existing identity providers (e.g., Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace) to keep developer onboarding and offboarding efficient and secure.
Akeyless in the DevOps Toolchain
Akeyless integrates into each layer of a modern DevOps stack:
| Layer | How Akeyless Helps |
| Source Control | GitOps tagging and secret version tracking |
| CI/CD | Inject secrets at runtime into GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, and more |
| Infrastructure as Code | Native support for Terraform, Helm, and Kubernetes |
| Containers & Orchestration | Inject secrets into Docker and Kubernetes without writing them to disk |
| Monitoring & Observability | Audit logs, secret access tracking, and version history for all secrets |
With centralized policy management and distributed access, developers can use secrets confidently—without waiting on infra or security teams.
Comparison: Akeyless vs Other Developer-Focused Tools
Here’s how Akeyless compares to other tools that market to developers:
| Feature | Akeyless | Doppler | Infisical |
| CLI Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GitOps Workflows | Yes | Partial | No |
| CI/CD Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kubernetes Native Support | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Policy-Based Access Control | Yes | No | Partial |
| SaaS & On-Prem Support | Yes | SaaS Only | SaaS Only |
| Secret Versioning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SDKs (Go, Python, Node.js) | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Support for Secretless Workflows | Yes | No | No |
Akeyless is the only developer-first tool that also meets enterprise-grade security and scale requirements—making it suitable for individual developers and platform teams alike.
FAQs for Developers Using Akeyless
What should a developer do for secrets management?
Use a tool that supports automation, version control, and secure injection. Avoid hardcoding secrets or storing them in repos. Akeyless provides CLI and API tools to manage secrets securely without disrupting your workflow.
How do I manage secrets in DevOps?
Centralize secrets with Akeyless and inject them at runtime into your CI/CD pipelines, containers, and environments. Define access rules using RBAC and manage everything through code.
How do I access secrets locally using Akeyless?
Install the Akeyless CLI, authenticate using your identity provider or API key, and fetch secrets directly into local .env files or environment variables.
Can I inject Akeyless secrets into my CI/CD pipeline?
Yes. Akeyless provides native integrations and workflows for secure injection during CI/CD jobs—without exposing secrets in logs or intermediate systems.
Does Akeyless support GitOps workflows?
Yes. You can manage secret references in Git, use versioned secrets, and keep infrastructure and secret configurations in sync using IaC tools like Terraform.
Can I use Akeyless secrets in Docker or Kubernetes?
Yes. Secrets can be injected into Docker containers at runtime and referenced securely in Kubernetes pods, deployments, and Helm charts.
How does Akeyless authenticate developers?
Akeyless supports SSO with identity providers (Okta, Azure AD, Google, etc.), static credentials, or signed JWTs—giving flexibility based on your org’s security policies.
Does Akeyless support versioning of secrets?
Yes. Every update to a secret is tracked, versioned, and auditable—so developers can roll back or audit changes easily.
Akeyless gives developers a purpose-built platform for secrets management—one that fits seamlessly into the tools they already use, while providing the security controls and scalability engineering teams need as they grow.Ready to simplify your secrets workflows?
Try Akeyless for Free →
