IaC security best practices
Ensuring security within IaC is paramount as it directly affects the provisioning and configuration of resources. Here are some detailed IaC security best practices and examples:
- Use secret management systems
Do not hardcode secrets or sensitive information in your IaC scripts. Instead of embedding API keys or database passwords in your Terraform script, use tools such as AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, or Azure Key Vault to fetch them at runtime.
- Keep IaC configurations in version control
Use version control systems (such as Git) to track changes, audit modifications, and roll back if necessary. Use Git branches to represent different environments. A pull request can act as a gateway for changes, ensuring peer review before deployment.
- Regularly audit and update dependencies
Periodically review and update modules, plugins, or dependencies your IaC scripts rely on. If using Terraform, you can use
terraform initto see if newer versions...
