Handling secrets

Protecting secrets such as passwords, tokens, and certificates is crucial in any IT infrastructure. These secrets are the keys to accessing sensitive information and services, and their exposure can lead to severe security breaches. Therefore, it is crucial to keep them safe and secure. Ansible provides several methods for managing secrets, such as Ansible Vault, which allows users to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data using a password or key file. This feature helps to protect secrets and ensures that only authorized users have access to them.

Saving secrets in a Git repository or any other public place is a significant security risk. Such repositories are often accessible to multiple users, some of whom may not have the necessary permissions to access sensitive data. Additionally, version control systems such as Git retain the history of changes made to files, making it possible for secrets to be exposed inadvertently. This could happen if a user inadvertently...