Create a secret

This page describes how to create a secret. A secret contains one or more secret versions, along with metadata such as labels and replication policies. The actual contents of a secret are stored in a secret version.

Before you begin

  1. Enable the Secret Manager API.

  2. Set up authentication.

    Select the tab for how you plan to use the samples on this page:

    Console

    When you use the Google Cloud console to access Google Cloud services and APIs, you don't need to set up authentication.

    gcloud

    In the Google Cloud console, activate Cloud Shell.

    Activate Cloud Shell

    At the bottom of the Google Cloud console, a Cloud Shell session starts and displays a command-line prompt. Cloud Shell is a shell environment with the Google Cloud CLI already installed and with values already set for your current project. It can take a few seconds for the session to initialize.

    REST

    To use the REST API samples on this page in a local development environment, you use the credentials you provide to the gcloud CLI.

      Install the Google Cloud CLI, then initialize it by running the following command: 

      gcloud init

    For more information, see Authenticate for using REST in the Google Cloud authentication documentation.

Required roles

To get the permissions that you need to create a secret, ask your administrator to grant you the Secret Manager Admin (roles/secretmanager.admin) IAM role on the project, folder, or organization. For more information about granting roles, see Manage access to projects, folders, and organizations.

You might also be able to get the required permissions through custom roles or other predefined roles.

Create a secret

You can create secrets using the Google Cloud console, the Google Cloud CLI, the Secret Manager API, or the Secret Manager client libraries.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Secret Manager page.

    Go to Secret Manager

  2. On the Secret Manager page, click Create secret.

  3. On the Create secret page, enter a name for the secret in the Name field. A secret name can contain uppercase and lowercase letters, numerals, hyphens, and underscores. The maximum allowed length for a name is 255 characters.

  4. Enter a value for the secret (for example, abcd1234). The secret value can be in any format but must not be larger than 64 KiB. You can also upload a text file containing the secret value using the Upload file option. This action automatically creates the secret version.

  5. Click Create secret.

gcloud

Before using any of the command data below, make the following replacements:

  • SECRET_ID: the ID of the secret or fully qualified identifier for the secret

Execute the following command:

Linux, macOS, or Cloud Shell

gcloud secrets create SECRET_ID \
    --replication-policy="automatic"

Windows (PowerShell)

gcloud secrets create SECRET_ID `
    --replication-policy="automatic"

Windows (cmd.exe)

gcloud secrets create SECRET_ID ^
    --replication-policy="automatic"

REST

Before using any of the request data, make the following replacements:

  • PROJECT_ID: the Google Cloud project ID
  • SECRET_ID: the ID of the secret or fully qualified identifier for the secret

HTTP method and URL: 

POST https://secretmanager.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/secrets?secretId=SECRET_ID

Request JSON body: 

{}

To send your request, choose one of these options:

curl

Save the request body in a file named request.json, and execute the following command: 

curl -X POST \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \
     -d @request.json \
     "https://secretmanager.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/secrets?secretId=SECRET_ID"

PowerShell

Save the request body in a file named request.json, and execute the following command: 

$cred = gcloud auth print-access-token
$headers = @{ "Authorization" = "Bearer $cred" }

Invoke-WebRequest `
    -Method POST `
    -Headers $headers `
    -ContentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8" `
    -InFile request.json `
    -Uri "https://secretmanager.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/secrets?secretId=SECRET_ID" | Select-Object -Expand Content

You should receive a JSON response similar to the following:

{
  "name": "projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/LOCATION/secrets/SECRET_ID",
  "createTime": "2024-03-25T08:24:13.153705Z",
  "etag": "\"161477e6071da9\""
}

C#

To run this code, first set up a C# development environment and install the Secret Manager C# SDK. On Compute Engine or GKE, you must authenticate with the cloud-platform scope. 


using Google.Api.Gax.ResourceNames;
using Google.Cloud.SecretManager.V1;

public class CreateSecretSample
{
    public Secret CreateSecret(
      string projectId = "my-project", string secretId = "my-secret")
    {
        // Create the client.
        SecretManagerServiceClient client = SecretManagerServiceClient.Create();

        // Build the parent resource name.
        ProjectName projectName = new ProjectName(projectId);

        // Build the secret.
        Secret secret = new Secret
        {
            Replication = new Replication
            {
                Automatic = new Replication.Types.Automatic(),
            },
        };

        // Call the API.
        Secret createdSecret = client.CreateSecret(projectName, secretId, secret);
        return createdSecret;
    }
}

Go

To run this code, first set up a Go development environment and install the Secret Manager Go SDK. On Compute Engine or GKE, you must authenticate with the cloud-platform scope. 

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"io"

	secretmanager "cloud.google.com/go/secretmanager/apiv1"
	"cloud.google.com/go/secretmanager/apiv1/secretmanagerpb"
)

// createSecret creates a new secret with the given name. A secret is a logical
// wrapper around a collection of secret versions. Secret versions hold the
// actual secret material.
func createSecret(w io.Writer, parent, id string) error {
	// parent := "projects/my-project"
	// id := "my-secret"

	// Create the client.
	ctx := context.Background()
	client, err := secretmanager.NewClient(ctx)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create secretmanager client: %w", err)
	}
	defer client.Close()

	// Build the request.
	req := &secretmanagerpb.CreateSecretRequest{
		Parent:   parent,
		SecretId: id,
		Secret: &secretmanagerpb.Secret{
			Replication: &secretmanagerpb.Replication{
				Replication: &secretmanagerpb.Replication_Automatic_{
					Automatic: &secretmanagerpb.Replication_Automatic{},
				},
			},
		},
	}

	// Call the API.
	result, err := client.CreateSecret(ctx, req)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create secret: %w", err)
	}
	fmt.Fprintf(w, "Created secret: %s\n", result.Name)
	return nil
}

Java

To run this code, first set up a Java development environment and install the Secret Manager Java SDK. On Compute Engine or GKE, you must authenticate with the cloud-platform scope. 

import com.google.cloud.secretmanager.v1.ProjectName;
import com.google.cloud.secretmanager.v1.Replication;
import com.google.cloud.secretmanager.v1.Secret;
import com.google.cloud.secretmanager.v1.SecretManagerServiceClient;
import com.google.protobuf.Duration;
import java.io.IOException;

public class CreateSecret {

  public static void createSecret() throws IOException {
    // TODO(developer): Replace these variables before running the sample.
    String projectId = "your-project-id";
    String secretId = "your-secret-id";
    createSecret(projectId, secretId);
  }

  // Create a new secret with automatic replication.
  public static void createSecret(String projectId, String secretId) throws IOException {
    // Initialize the client that will be used to send requests. This client only needs to be
    // created once, and can be reused for multiple requests. After completing all of your requests,
    // call the "close" method on the client to safely clean up any remaining background resources.
    try (SecretManagerServiceClient client = SecretManagerServiceClient.create()) {
      // Build the parent name from the project.
      ProjectName projectName = ProjectName.of(projectId);

      // Optionally set a TTL for the secret. This demonstrates how to configure
      // a secret to be automatically deleted after a certain period. The TTL is
      // specified in seconds (e.g., 900 for 15 minutes). This can be useful
      // for managing sensitive data and reducing storage costs.
      Duration ttl = Duration.newBuilder().setSeconds(900).build();

      // Build the secret to create.
      Secret secret =
          Secret.newBuilder()
              .setReplication(
                  Replication.newBuilder()
                      .setAutomatic(Replication.Automatic.newBuilder().build())
                      .build())
              .setTtl(ttl)
              .build();

      // Create the secret.
      Secret createdSecret = client.createSecret(projectName, secretId, secret);
      System.out.printf("Created secret %s\n", createdSecret.getName());
    }
  }
}

Node.js

To run this code, first set up a Node.js development environment and install the Secret Manager Node.js SDK. On Compute Engine or GKE, you must authenticate with the cloud-platform scope. 

/**
 * TODO(developer): Uncomment these variables before running the sample.
 */
// const parent = 'projects/my-project';
// const secretId = 'my-secret';

// Imports the Secret Manager library
const {SecretManagerServiceClient} = require('@google-cloud/secret-manager');

// Instantiates a client
const client = new SecretManagerServiceClient();

async function createSecret() {
  const [secret] = await client.createSecret({
    parent: parent,
    secretId: secretId,
    secret: {
      replication: {
        automatic: {},
      },
    },
  });

  console.log(`Created secret ${secret.name}`);
}

createSecret();

PHP

To run this code, first learn about using PHP on Google Cloud and install the Secret Manager PHP SDK. On Compute Engine or GKE, you must authenticate with the cloud-platform scope. 

// Import the Secret Manager client library.
use Google\Cloud\SecretManager\V1\CreateSecretRequest;
use Google\Cloud\SecretManager\V1\Replication;
use Google\Cloud\SecretManager\V1\Replication\Automatic;
use Google\Cloud\SecretManager\V1\Secret;
use Google\Cloud\SecretManager\V1\Client\SecretManagerServiceClient;

/**
 * @param string $projectId Your Google Cloud Project ID (e.g. 'my-project')
 * @param string $secretId  Your secret ID (e.g. 'my-secret')
 */
function create_secret(string $projectId, string $secretId): void
{
    // Create the Secret Manager client.
    $client = new SecretManagerServiceClient();

    // Build the resource name of the parent project.
    $parent = $client->projectName($projectId);

    $secret = new Secret([
        'replication' => new Replication([
            'automatic' => new Automatic(),
        ]),
    ]);

    // Build the request.
    $request = CreateSecretRequest::build($parent, $secretId, $secret);

    // Create the secret.
    $newSecret = $client->createSecret($request);

    // Print the new secret name.
    printf('Created secret: %s', $newSecret->getName());
}

Python

To run this code, first set up a Python development environment and install the Secret Manager Python SDK. On Compute Engine or GKE, you must authenticate with the cloud-platform scope. 

def create_secret(
    project_id: str, secret_id: str, ttl: Optional[str] = None
) -> secretmanager.Secret:
    """
    Create a new secret with the given name. A secret is a logical wrapper
    around a collection of secret versions. Secret versions hold the actual
    secret material.

     Args:
        project_id (str): The project ID where the secret is to be created.
        secret_id (str): The ID to assign to the new secret. This ID must be unique within the project.
        ttl (Optional[str]): An optional string that specifies the secret's time-to-live in seconds with
                             format (e.g., "900s" for 15 minutes). If specified, the secret
                             versions will be automatically deleted upon reaching the end of the TTL period.

    Returns:
        secretmanager.Secret: An object representing the newly created secret, containing details like the
                              secret's name, replication settings, and optionally its TTL.

    Example:
        # Create a secret with automatic replication and no TTL
        new_secret = create_secret("my-project", "my-new-secret")

        # Create a secret with a TTL of 30 days
        new_secret_with_ttl = create_secret("my-project", "my-timed-secret", "7776000s")
    """

    # Import the Secret Manager client library.
    from google.cloud import secretmanager

    # Create the Secret Manager client.
    client = secretmanager.SecretManagerServiceClient()

    # Build the resource name of the parent project.
    parent = f"projects/{project_id}"

    # Create the secret.
    response = client.create_secret(
        request={
            "parent": parent,
            "secret_id": secret_id,
            "secret": {"replication": {"automatic": {}}, "ttl": ttl},
        }
    )

    # Print the new secret name.
    print(f"Created secret: {response.name}")

Ruby

To run this code, first set up a Ruby development environment and install the Secret Manager Ruby SDK. On Compute Engine or GKE, you must authenticate with the cloud-platform scope. 

# project_id = "YOUR-GOOGLE-CLOUD-PROJECT"  # (e.g. "my-project")
# secret_id  = "YOUR-SECRET-ID"             # (e.g. "my-secret")

# Require the Secret Manager client library.
require "google/cloud/secret_manager"

# Create a Secret Manager client.
client = Google::Cloud::SecretManager.secret_manager_service

# Build the resource name of the parent project.
parent = client.project_path project: project_id

# Create the secret.
secret = client.create_secret(
  parent:    parent,
  secret_id: secret_id,
  secret:    {
    replication: {
      automatic: {}
    }
  }
)

# Print the new secret name.
puts "Created secret: #{secret.name}"

To select the right replication policy for your secret, see Choose a replication policy.

Add a secret version

Secret Manager automatically versions secret data using secret versions. Key operations, such as access, destroy, disable, and enable, are applied to specific secret versions. With Secret Manager, you can associate secrets with specific versions such as 42 or with dynamic aliases such as latest. To learn more, see Add a secret version.

Access a secret version

To access the secret data from a particular secret version for successful authentication, see Access a secret version.

What's next