Secrets Manager vs Shelve
Secrets Manager
github.comShelve
shelve.cloudSide by side
| Figure | Secrets Manager | Shelve |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Secrets Management Tools | 8.3 (#7) | 7.4 (#24) |
| CLI | The `secrets run` command fetches environment secrets and supplies them to a child process without creating a `.env` file. | Its CLI can inject secrets into a process at runtime and push or pull secrets between a local project and Shelve. |
| Encryption | The backend uses AES-256-GCM envelope encryption with a random data key per secret value, and the documentation says plaintext secret values are never stored in the database. | Shelve describes per-project envelope encryption using AES-256-GCM, with each project’s data key sealed by a platform key. |
| Purpose | Secrets Manager is a self-hosted system for storing application secrets encrypted, managing them in a web UI, and injecting them into processes through a CLI. | Shelve is an open-source platform for managing environment variables and secrets across development teams. |
| Support | The repository directs vulnerability reports to a private GitHub security advisory and says not to disclose exploitable issues publicly. | The maker lists GitHub issues and [email protected] for support and contributions. |
Plans
In their own words
Secrets Manager
Secrets Manager is a free, open-source, self-hosted system for storing application secrets in encrypted form, managing them through a web interface, and injecting them into processes with a command-line tool. Users organize secrets by organization, project, and environment, import.env files, edit or reveal values, keep versions, roll back, and soft-delete entries. The `secrets run` command supplies environment secrets to a child process and its descendants without creating a.env file. Documented workflows cover Node.js, Python, npm, and Next.js; CI or deployment can use an API URL, token, and environment ID. User and service-account grants can be scoped to projects or environments, and revealing values requires explicit permission. AES-256-GCM envelope encryption uses a separate data key per value, while plaintext values are not stored in the database. Audit events include secret reveals, and values are withheld if audit writing fails. Docker Compose starts PostgreSQL, Redis, backend, and frontend; local Kubernetes manifests are also provided. A user-generated master key is mandatory and lost keys make secrets unrecoverable. The repository is MIT licensed.