How to choose between rotated vs. dynamic secrets

Holding on to application or software secrets for too long has repeatedly proven to be a security risk. It often leads to exploitation, data breaches, and even financial loss. With these issues, the old, static style of managing secrets should no longer be part of the conversation.

But what’s the difference between these two options, and how do you choose which one to use? In some environments, dynamic secrets might be too short-lived or unavailable when needed. In others, rotated secrets might stick around longer than desired, increasing the risk of misuse. Understanding which workloads favor one method or when we might need both is just as important as moving away from static secrets. This article explores when to pick between rotated and dynamic secrets based on real-world needs. Let's dive in.

Comparing rotated and dynamic secrets

When to use rotated secrets

Rotated secrets are stable, long-lived credentials such as passwords, API keys, webhooks, or database URIs that get replaced with new ones at a set interval. The idea is to control how long a secret stays active and reduce the chances of it being exposed or misused.

The process of rotating secrets should never be manual, as this could lead to inconsistencies or missed updates. Fortunately, many secret managers today support automated secret rotation, with Doppler being a popular option. When rotation is handled automatically, it typically follows one of two patterns:

• Multiple secrets can be created and stored, with only one marked as active while the others remain inactive.
• A single secret is created at a time and replaced when rotated.

Regardless of the pattern, the rotation process usually follows a few common steps.

• Creation: Secret instances are generated and stored.
• Activation: One secret is marked as active and used for access, while others are kept inactive.
• Swapping: At the end of the rotation interval, a new secret is promoted to active status, and the previous one is marked inactive.
• Deletion: The retired secret is removed to make room for newer secrets in the pipeline.

As mentioned, rotated secrets are our everyday credentials, but with added security layers. Like static credentials, rotated secrets can be shared by multiple workload instances. They are best suited for workloads that require continuous operation, where downtime can be risky. These are usually applications that inject environment variables at startup, which means the app must be restarted to load new secrets. However, others can receive new credentials at runtime and inject them without restarting.

Let’s look at a few real-world use cases where rotated secrets fit well.

Use cases for rotated secrets

An e-commerce website backend

One practical use case for rotated secrets is a backend service that connects to a PostgreSQL database and runs 24/7. Updating the database credentials usually requires restarting the service. If this is done too often, there is the risk of interrupting user sessions or cutting off transactions midway. Rotated secrets allow for scheduled updates to the database credentials without affecting the application’s availability.

Internal enterprise APIs used by multiple systems

Another example is an internal API integrated across several services or departments. These services rely on shared API keys. Using rotated secrets lets us update credentials periodically without breaking dependencies across the connected systems.

Applications on Kubernetes using Doppler for hot reloading

In Kubernetes, Doppler works well with rotated secrets to support hot-reloading. For example, when an application relies on Doppler-managed database credentials, you can mount those secrets into the container as files. Inside the app, tools like fsnotify help detect file changes and trigger a credential reload at runtime.

Now that we’ve seen where rotated secrets are useful, let’s break down some of the benefits and trade-offs to keep in mind.

Advantages of using rotated secrets

• Improved security through regular credential updates: Rotating secrets on a schedule helps limit how long any one credential stays active. If something gets exposed, the damaged window is much smaller.
• Compliance with regulatory standards mandating periodic secret changes: Many compliance frameworks require credentials to be refreshed regularly. Using rotated secrets helps tick that box without rethinking your system design.

Challenges of using rotated secrets

• Operational overhead associated with manual rotation processes: If secret rotation isn’t automated, keeping everything in sync can become repetitive and error-prone.
• Potential risks if secrets are not rotated frequently enough: Delays in rotation increase the chance of credentials staying active longer than they should, which opens up unnecessary exposure.
• Complexity in managing rotations across diverse systems: When different services or environments have their own way of handling secrets, keeping a unified rotation process becomes tricky.

When to use dynamic secrets

Dynamic secrets are credentials generated on demand with a limited lifespan, providing temporary access to resources. They are created to fulfill specific authentication and authorization needs. Each secret is tightly tied to a specific service, user, or workload. It is generated when needed and automatically retired once its use ends, helping prevent secret sprawl.

Like rotated secrets, dynamic secrets are also time-bound, but their lifespan is significantly shorter. The entire lifecycle, from creation to expiration, is fully automated. While implementation may vary across systems, the general pattern is the same: a system or user triggers the need for access, a credential is generated with a predefined time to live(TTL), and that credential is passed back to the requester. Once the TTL is reached, the secret expires.

Depending on the secret management system in use, one of two things can happen:

• If the service still needs access, the system may automatically refresh the secret.
• In other cases, the service or user must request a new secret lease to continue.

A helpful analogy is how JSON Web Token(JWT)access tokens work. They're generated on login, valid for a short time, and automatically expire, just like dynamic secrets. But in our context, dynamic secrets apply to credentials like database passwords or cloud API keys.

Let’s look at some real-world use cases to see when dynamic secrets make the most sense.

Use cases for dynamic secrets

CI/CD pipelines requesting short-lived cloud credentials

Dynamic secrets can generate short-lived AWS or GCP credentials when a CI/CD pipeline (e.g., GitHub Actions or GitLab CI) needs to deploy infrastructure or access cloud resources. These secrets expire once the job finishes, reducing the risk of long-term key exposure.

Granting temporary cloud access to third parties

There are cases where an external party, like an auditor, needs access to part of a cloud environment. Instead of setting up a long-term IAM user or access key, a short-lived secret can be generated with just the right level of access. Once TTL of the secret expires, access is revoked automatically, without any extra effort.

Service-to-service communication in zero-trust environments

In some environments, especially ones that follow a zero-trust model, services don’t have default access to each other. For example, if a backend service needs to connect to a metrics service, it can ask for a short-lived token instead of using a shared or static credential. That token works just long enough to complete the task, then expires. This way, even if something leaks, the damage is limited.

Before deciding to use dynamic secrets, it’s essential to understand where they shine and where things can get tricky.

Advantages of using dynamic secrets

• Minimized risk of credential compromise due to short-lived access: Because dynamic secrets expire quickly, the damage window is small and contained even if they're exposed.
• Alignment with zero-trust security models by enforcing least privilege principles: Secrets are created only when needed, scoped to specific users or services, and revoked automatically, which fits right into zero-trust access strategies.
• Reduced need for manual secret management through automation: Dynamic secrets are created, distributed, and expired without manual intervention, which helps reduce human user error and overhead.

Challenges of using dynamic secrets

• Increased complexity in integrating dynamic secrets into existing workflows: Many applications are built to expect static credentials, so shifting to dynamic secrets may require custom logic or architectural changes.
• Dependency on highly available secrets management systems to prevent access disruptions: Since secrets are generated on demand, any downtime or lag in the secrets manager could block access and affect availability.

Implementing a hybrid approach

Knowing when to use rotated or dynamic secrets helps maximize their strengths, but recognizing when to combine both can further improve security. Take a scenario where a web server uses a database URI to handle user requests. Rotated secrets can be used for the application’s ongoing connection, updating every 30 to 60 days based on internal security policies. At the same time, dynamic secrets can temporarily give access to things like one-off admin tasks or ad-hoc queries. So, even though the two approaches serve different purposes, they can work side-by-side to strengthen security where it matters.

Best practices

Automate secret rotation to reduce manual work and avoid mistakes

Manually updating secrets increases the chance of delays or inconsistencies. Automating this process keeps things secure and reliable over time.

Use dynamic secrets for short-lived or scoped access

Temporary access like CI/CD jobs or developer debugging can be tightly controlled using dynamic secrets that expire when they’re no longer needed.

Monitor and log all secret-related activity

Track when secrets are created, accessed, or fail to sync. This helps with auditing, alerting, and spotting unusual behavior early.

Making the right choice for your secrets strategy

Choosing the right approach to secrets management depends on your systems, workflows, and security needs. Rotated secrets offer long-term stability with improved control, while dynamic secrets support temporary access and tighter scope. Each has its strengths; combining both can provide more robust, flexible protection in many cases.