Side by side
OpenStack Barbican vs Secrets Manager
Both stand on secrets management tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted
Barbican offers OpenStack-native secret management with configurable storage integrations, including HSM support. Operators should account for its default key-storage tradeoff and the limits on container ACLs.
Visit OpenStack Barbican Free plan APILinuxMac+3
Secrets Manager combines encrypted storage, access grants, audit events, and CLI-based secret injection in a self-hosted package. Review the maker’s master-key warning and deployment requirements before adopting it.
Visit Secrets ManagerThe facts
| OpenStack Barbican | Secrets Manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Self-hosted | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | docs.openstack.org | github.com |
| On secrets management tools | #12 of 46 | #16 of 46 |
OpenStack Barbican: what it does well
- REST API for provisioning and managing secrets
- Plugins can use software stores or HSMs
- Documented KMIP, Dogtag, Vault, and PKCS#11 options
- Custom plugins can handle storage, generation, and events
What to know first
- Default encryption key is plaintext in barbican.conf
- Container ACL settings do not extend to associated secrets
- Installation assumes a working OpenStack deployment
Secrets Manager: what it does well
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Versions can be rolled back
- CLI passes secrets without creating a `.env` file
- Access grants cover users and service accounts
- Audit events include secret reveals
What to know first
- Requires Docker and Docker Compose
- CLI quickstart requires Node 20 or later
- Losing the master key makes secrets unrecoverable
- Earlier repository master key must never be used
Alternatives to OpenStack Barbican Alternatives to Secrets Manager The whole list