CyberArk Secrets Manager vs dotenvx

CyberArk Secrets Manager centrally stores and governs credentials used by applications, containers, CI/CD pipelines and other workloads across cloud, on-premises and hybrid environments. It handles API keys, tokens, passwords, certificates and database credentials, with policies to rotate, expire and retire secrets while tracking ownership and expiration. Organizations can use managed SaaS or run it in a customer data center, including where data residency or air-gap requirements apply. Applications and containers can authenticate through application attributes and role-based controls, and key events are recorded in tamper-resistant audit logs. Its SaaS service assigns workloads cryptographic SPIFFE identities based on verified attributes; the identities expire in hours and cannot be shared or reused. Listed integrations span DevOps, CI/CD, automation, PaaS and public cloud tools. The product page describes a distributed, high-availability design. CyberArk was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Pricing is on request; the product page directs visitors to request a demo.

dotenvx encrypts secrets stored in.env files, then decrypts and injects them when an application runs. Its maker describes it as free and open source, with hosted and self-hosted deployment options. Public-key encryption uses a secp256k1 key pair, keeping the private decryption key separate from the encrypted file. For development, the private key can be stored in the operating system’s secret store, including macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, or Linux Secret Service. Listed workflow tools include environment selection and composition, validation, pre-commit leak prevention, Docker image protection, key/value operations, and runtime log redaction. The maker says encrypted files can travel with code and be decrypted at runtime using a private key supplied in the deployment environment, without a secrets service in the application’s critical path. Installation options include CLI, npm, winget, Homebrew, GitHub releases, Docker, a Ruby gem, and Python pip. Guides cover developer tools, programming languages, and deployment services. The free User plan includes CLI, SDKs, encryption, and GitHub Issues support. Member is $5 a month; Business is $90 a month. The paid product has a 14-day free trial.