Keyway vs Phase

Keyway is an open-source secrets manager that injects environment variables into a running process instead of storing them in a project.env file. Its `keyway run` command makes secrets available while that process runs; they disappear when it stops. Keyway says AI agents reading files from disk cannot see secrets injected this way. Access follows GitHub repository permissions, so removing a person’s repository access also revokes their Keyway access.

Secrets use AES-256-GCM encryption with a unique random IV for each secret. An isolated crypto service holds the encryption key, which Keyway says does not touch its API server or database; connections among the CLI, API, crypto service, and database use TLS 1.3. An audit trail records who accessed which secrets, when, and from where. Documented provider workflows cover Vercel, Netlify, and Railway. CLI binaries are listed for macOS, Linux, and Windows, and the full stack can be self-hosted with Docker Compose. The Free plan includes unlimited public repositories, one private repository, three environments per repository, two provider integrations, and unlimited collaborators. Paid plans are Pro at €9 a month, Team at €19 a month, and Business at €39 a month.

Phase is an open-source platform for managing application secrets from development through production. It runs as a managed cloud service or on your infrastructure, including in air-gapped environments. Phase says end-to-end encryption is enabled by default, with servers storing ciphertext in that mode. Its CLI keeps secrets encrypted at rest locally and can inject them while offline; it also installs skills for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, and VS Code Copilot to work with secrets using natural language. Teams can assign managed or custom roles by app and environment, set IP allow-lists, review records of access and changes, and use point-in-time rollback. Integrations include AWS, Azure, HashiCorp Vault, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloudflare, GitHub, GitLab, Vercel, and Railway. Phase lists SOC 2 Type 2 and penetration testing by Oneleet. The Free plan is limited to 5 users or service accounts, 3 apps, and 3 environments. Pro costs $10 per month, billed annually at $120 ($144 shown), with a 14-day trial.