Organizational Secrets Management: API Keys & Credentials | Nife Docs

Store and manage sensitive information securely at the organization level.

What are Organizational Secrets?#

Organizational Secrets are sensitive data stored securely at the organization level, such as:

  • API keys and tokens
  • Database passwords
  • Third-party service credentials
  • Configuration values
  • License keys

Accessing Organizational Secrets#

Steps#

  1. Click Organizations in the main navigation
  2. Click the Organizational Secrets tab
  3. You'll see all secrets for the current organization

Create a Secret#

Steps#

  1. Go to the Organizational Secrets tab
  2. Click Add Secret
  3. Enter the secret details:
    • Name: Unique identifier for the secret
    • Value: The sensitive data
    • Description: Optional details about the secret
  4. Click Create

Naming Best Practices#

Use clear, descriptive names:

  • ✓ DATABASE_PASSWORD_PROD
  • ✓ STRIPE_API_KEY_LIVE
  • ✓ SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL
  • ✗ secret123
  • ✗ password
  • ✗ key

View Secrets#

The secrets list shows:

  • Secret Name - The identifier you gave it
  • Last Updated - When it was last modified
  • Created By - Who created the secret
  • Status - Whether it's active

Values are hidden by default for security. Click the eye icon to reveal a secret value.

Update a Secret#

Steps#

  1. Find the secret in the list
  2. Click Edit or the pencil icon
  3. Update the value and/or description
  4. Click Save

The secret is immediately updated and available to use.

Delete a Secret#

Steps#

  1. Find the secret in the list
  2. Click Delete or the trash icon
  3. Confirm the deletion

⚠️ Warning: Deleted secrets cannot be recovered. Make sure you're deleting the correct secret.

Use Secrets in Applications#

Once created, use secrets in your applications by referencing their names:

$DATABASE_PASSWORD_PROD
$STRIPE_API_KEY_LIVE
$SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL

The system automatically injects the secret values at runtime.

Secret Visibility#

Secrets are:

  • ✓ Visible to organization members with appropriate roles
  • ✓ Hidden from viewers (unless explicitly configured)
  • ✓ Encrypted in storage
  • ✓ Never displayed in logs

Security Practices#

✓ Use strong values - Generate secure random values for passwords and keys
✓ Regular rotation - Update secrets periodically
✓ Limited access - Only give access to people who need it
✓ Document secrets - Keep track of what each secret is for
✓ Audit usage - Monitor who accesses which secrets
✓ Delete unused - Remove secrets that are no longer needed

Secret Management Best Practices#

Organization-Level Secrets#

Use for:

  • Shared credentials
  • Database connections
  • Third-party service keys
  • Configuration that applies to multiple applications

Application-Level Secrets#

Use for:

  • Application-specific configuration
  • Feature flags
  • Debug settings

Environment-Specific Secrets#

Maintain separate secrets for:

  • Development
  • Staging
  • Production

Use naming convention to identify:

  • API_KEY_DEV
  • API_KEY_STAGING
  • API_KEY_PROD

Troubleshooting#

Secret value is showing as empty?#

  • Refresh the page
  • Verify the secret was created successfully
  • Check if you have permission to view secrets

Can't create a secret?#

  • Verify you have the correct role (Admin or Member)
  • Check that the secret name is unique
  • Make sure the value isn't empty

Forgot the secret value?#

  • If you remember the name, you can view it by clicking the eye icon
  • If you forgot the value completely, you'll need to update it with the correct value
  • There's no way to recover a forgotten secret value

Need to share a secret with a team member?#

  • Add them to the organization with appropriate role
  • They'll have access to all organization secrets
  • Alternatively, ask an admin to share specific secrets

Security Considerations#

🔐 Encryption: All secrets are encrypted in storage
🔐 Access Control: Only organization members can access
🔐 Audit Trail: Access to secrets is logged
🔐 No Backups: Deleted secrets cannot be recovered

Common Secrets to Store#

Database Credentials:

  • DB_HOST
  • DB_USER
  • DB_PASSWORD
  • DB_PORT

API Keys:

  • STRIPE_API_KEY
  • GITHUB_TOKEN
  • AWS_ACCESS_KEY
  • AWS_SECRET_KEY

Service URLs:

  • SMTP_SERVER
  • REDIS_URL
  • ELASTICSEARCH_URL

Related Topics#