Question

Difficulty: EasySecrets Management and Parameter Store

To comply with security audits, the database password for an Amazon Aurora MySQL database must be stored securely and rotated automatically on a recurring schedule. Which AWS service should a developer use to manage this password and its automatic rotation?

  1. AWS Secrets ManagerAnswer
  2. B
    AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
  3. C
    AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS)
  4. D
    Hardcode the database password inside the application source code stored in AWS CodeCommit

Answer

AWS Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed for managing, retrieving, and rotating database credentials, API keys, and other secrets. It has built-in integration with Amazon RDS and Amazon Aurora to rotate database credentials automatically without requiring application redeployment.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary requirement
The requirement is to securely store a database password and rotate it automatically on a schedule.
This determines which AWS service has the native capabilities to handle automated lifecycle management of secrets.
2
Evaluate the capabilities of AWS Secrets Manager versus AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
AWS Secrets Manager offers built-in integration with RDS and Aurora databases to automatically rotate credentials using AWS Lambda, whereas Parameter Store does not support automatic rotation.
Choosing the service that supports out-of-the-box rotation minimizes custom development and operational overhead.

Key Concept

AWS Secrets Manager provides native support for the automatic rotation of database credentials, whereas AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store does not.
Estimated Time:45s
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