Secure Credential Storage: Databases and Vaults
Where credentials should live in production systems, what storage options exist, and the most common storage mistakes to avoid.
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Tags: security, best-practices, credentials
Secure Credential Storage: Where to Put API Keys and Passwords Knowing that credentials need to be stored securely is easy. Knowing where to put them, given the constraints of your platform, application type, and threat model, is harder. This guide covers the storage options for different contexts — server-side applications, browsers, mobile apps, and scripts. The Core Principle: Tiered by Sensitivity Not all credentials deserve identical storage. Over-protecting convenience tokens is unnecessary friction. Under-protecting account passwords is catastrophic. The right storage choice depends on what the credential can access and for how long. Tier 1 — Master secrets (highest protection): User account passwords (hashed with bcrypt/Argon2) Private keys for signing and encryption Master…
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