Development and Testing with Secrets

Development and Testing with Secrets

Development environments require different secret management approaches than production. Local development might use simplified secrets or mock services. Test environments need realistic but non-production secrets. Secret sprawl across environments creates management challenges. Clear separation between environment secrets prevents accidental production exposure.

Docker Compose override files enable environment-specific secret configuration. Development might use environment variables while production uses mounted secrets. Test fixtures should generate temporary secrets for each test run. Integration tests require coordination between test secrets and external services. Clear documentation helps developers understand environment-specific secret requirements.

Secrets management remains critical for container security throughout development and production lifecycles. Proper implementation prevents secret exposure while enabling seamless application deployment. The next chapter explores container orchestration security for managing containers at scale.## Container Orchestration Security with Docker Swarm and Kubernetes

Container orchestration platforms like Docker Swarm and Kubernetes introduce additional security considerations beyond individual container security. These platforms manage thousands of containers across distributed infrastructure, creating new attack surfaces through their control planes, networking layers, and storage systems. This chapter provides comprehensive security guidance for both Docker Swarm and Kubernetes, covering cluster hardening, network policies, RBAC implementation, and security monitoring at scale.