Parameter Store vs Secrets Manager

~8 min read

Two related services for centralized configuration and secrets, differing mainly in automatic rotation support.

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Key points

  • Parameter Store Standard: free, String/StringList/SecureString, no automatic rotation
  • Secrets Manager: paid per secret, purpose-built for automatic scheduled rotation, native RDS/Aurora integration
  • Use Parameter Store for general config and manually-managed secrets
  • Use Secrets Manager specifically when automatic rotation is a genuine requirement