CI/CD Secrets Management Tools -- Akeyless Alternatives
CI/CD secrets management tools inject credentials into build and deployment pipelines without exposing them in pipeline configuration, logs, or artifacts. They support just-in-time secret delivery, dynamic credentials, and automated rotation to secure your software delivery pipeline.
Identify all secrets used in your CI/CD pipelines — environment variables, build arguments, deployment keys, and service credentials. Document where each secret is stored and how it's accessed.
Migrate pipeline secrets from CI/CD platform variables into your external secrets manager. Organize secrets by project and environment (dev, staging, production).
Add the secrets manager's CI/CD plugin to your pipeline configuration. For GitHub Actions, this is typically a marketplace action. For Jenkins, a plugin. Most tools provide one-line integration.
Configure authentication between your CI/CD platform and the secrets manager using OIDC federation, service accounts, or short-lived tokens. Avoid storing long-lived credentials in pipeline variables.
Update pipeline steps to pull secrets from the external manager instead of built-in variables. Verify that secrets are injected correctly and that pipeline logs are scrubbed to prevent accidental exposure.
Free (OSS) / Enterprise from $0.03/hr
The most comprehensive CI/CD secrets solution with native plugins for Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, and dynamic secrets that expire after each build.
Free for individuals / Team from $4/user/month
The simplest CI/CD integration with one-line setup for GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and most CI platforms. Automatic secret injection with no code changes required.
$0.40/secret/month + $0.05/10k API calls
Native integration with AWS CodePipeline, CodeBuild, and GitHub Actions via OIDC. Best for teams running CI/CD on AWS infrastructure.
Free (self-hosted) / Cloud from $6/user/month
Native CI/CD integrations with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, and more. CLI-based injection with automatic secret syncing and versioned rollback support.
Business from $7.99/user/month
Service account tokens and Connect server enable programmatic CI/CD access. GitHub Actions integration via 1Password Service Accounts for secret injection.
Industry-standard open-source secrets management platform
Free (OSS) / Enterprise from $0.03/hr
Teams needing flexible, self-hosted secrets management with extensive plugin ecosystem
Developer-first universal secrets management platform
Free for individuals / Team from $4/user/month
Development teams wanting a simple, modern secrets workflow
Native AWS secrets management service with automatic rotation
$0.40/secret/month + $0.05/10k API calls
Teams already on AWS who want native integration
Open-source end-to-end encrypted secrets management for teams
Free (self-hosted) / Cloud from $6/user/month
Teams wanting open-source with a modern developer experience
Secrets automation and password management for teams and CI/CD
Business from $7.99/user/month
Teams wanting combined password management and developer secrets automation
CI/CD platform variables (GitHub Secrets, GitLab Variables) have limited rotation capabilities, no fine-grained access control, no audit logging of individual access, and no dynamic credential support. External secrets managers provide centralized management, automatic rotation, detailed audit trails, and the ability to generate short-lived credentials for each build.
Dynamic secrets are credentials generated on-demand with a limited time-to-live (TTL). In CI/CD, this means each build gets unique database credentials or API tokens that automatically expire when the build completes. This eliminates the risk of credential reuse, limits blast radius if a build is compromised, and removes the need for manual rotation.
Use your secrets manager's CI/CD plugin which automatically masks secrets in logs. Avoid printing environment variables in debug output. Use the secrets manager's CLI to inject secrets at runtime rather than as build arguments. Enable log scrubbing features in your CI/CD platform. Some tools like Doppler automatically detect and redact secrets in output.
GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Jenkins have the broadest support across all major secrets managers. CircleCI, Bitbucket Pipelines, Azure DevOps, and AWS CodePipeline are also well-supported. HashiCorp Vault has the widest CI/CD platform coverage, while Doppler and Infisical offer the simplest integration experience.
Industry-standard open-source secrets management platform
ComparisonDeveloper-first universal secrets management platform
ComparisonNative AWS secrets management service with automatic rotation
CategoryCompare the best open source secrets management tools in 2026. HashiCorp Vault, Infisical, CyberArk Conjur and more — features, pricing, and deployment compared.
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