Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

AWS Secrets Manager VS GitLab

Compare AWS Secrets Manager VS GitLab and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

AWS Secrets Manager logo AWS Secrets Manager

AWS Secrets Manager to Rotate, Manage, Retrieve Secrets

GitLab logo GitLab

Create, review and deploy code together with GitLab open source git repo management software | GitLab
  • AWS Secrets Manager Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-15
  • GitLab Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-17

GitLab

Release Date
2014 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Dmitriy Zaporozhets
Employees
1,000 - 1,999

AWS Secrets Manager features and specs

  • Automated Secret Rotation
    AWS Secrets Manager provides built-in support for automatic rotation of secrets, which enhances security by frequently changing passwords and other sensitive information.
  • Centralized Secret Management
    You can manage all your secrets from a single location, simplifying the process of keeping track of credentials, API keys, and other sensitive data across various applications and services.
  • Integration with AWS Services
    AWS Secrets Manager is well integrated with other AWS services such as RDS, Redshift, and IAM, making it easier to manage and retrieve secrets within the AWS ecosystem.
  • Fine-Grained Access Control
    Utilizes AWS IAM to provide fine-grained access control policies, allowing you to precisely define who can access specific secrets, enhancing security.
  • Secure Secret Storage
    Secrets are stored securely using encryption standards provided by AWS Key Management Service (KMS), ensuring that the data is protected both at rest and in transit.
  • Audit and Compliance
    AWS Secrets Manager facilitates compliance with regulatory requirements by providing logging and monitoring capabilities, enabling you to track access and changes to secrets.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Secrets Manager

  • Cost
    AWS Secrets Manager can be more expensive compared to other secret management solutions, especially as the number of stored secrets and API requests increase.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Relying on AWS Secrets Manager can increase dependency on AWS services, which might be a drawback if you are considering a multi-cloud strategy.
  • Complexity
    The integration and setup process can be complex, especially for organizations without prior AWS experience, potentially requiring a steep learning curve.
  • API Limits
    AWS imposes API request limits, which might be restrictive for applications with high-frequency secret access needs, potentially resulting in throttling issues.
  • Regional Availability
    Not all AWS regions may support Secrets Manager, which can be a constraint for global applications that require multi-region deployments.

GitLab features and specs

  • Integrated DevOps Platform
    GitLab provides a single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle, which simplifies the workflow and reduces the need for multiple tools.
  • CI/CD Capabilities
    It offers powerful Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) features, enabling automated testing and deployment.
  • Self-Hosted and SaaS Options
    GitLab can be hosted on your own servers or used as a cloud-hosted service, providing flexibility depending on your needs.
  • Strong Security Features
    GitLab includes various security features such as code quality analysis, vulnerability management, and compliance management.
  • Robust Community and Support
    There is a large community and extensive documentation available, along with professional support options.

Possible disadvantages of GitLab

  • Complexity for New Users
    The extensive features and functionalities can be overwhelming for newcomers, requiring a steep learning curve.
  • Resource Intensive
    Self-hosting a GitLab instance requires substantial server resources, which can be costly.
  • Price
    While there is a free tier, the advanced features are part of the paid plans, which can be expensive for small teams or startups.
  • User Interface
    Some users find the interface less intuitive and harder to navigate compared to other platforms like GitHub.
  • Performance Issues
    Large repositories or high usage can sometimes lead to performance issues, especially on self-hosted instances.

Analysis of AWS Secrets Manager

Overall verdict

  • Yes, AWS Secrets Manager is a good choice for managing secrets.

Why this product is good

  • AWS Secrets Manager provides a secure and convenient way to store and manage sensitive information such as database credentials, API keys, and other secrets.
  • It supports automatic rotation of secrets, which enhances security by reducing the risk of exposure.
  • The service is integrated with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to control access, ensuring that only authorized applications and users can access secrets.
  • It can seamlessly integrate with other AWS services, providing a cohesive and streamlined experience for users within the AWS ecosystem.
  • The pay-as-you-go pricing model makes it cost-effective for businesses of all sizes.

Recommended for

  • Companies using AWS services that need to manage a variety of secrets, from database credentials to API keys.
  • Organizations looking for a robust, scalable, and secure solution for secret management.
  • Development teams that require frequent secret updates and benefit from automated secret rotation.
  • Businesses that want to leverage AWS's security features, such as encryption and IAM integration, for protecting sensitive data.

Analysis of GitLab

Overall verdict

  • Yes, GitLab is generally considered a good platform, especially for teams looking for an integrated set of tools for software development and DevOps. Its features and flexibility make it a strong choice for many organizations.

Why this product is good

  • GitLab is a popular DevOps platform that provides a comprehensive suite of tools for software development, including version control, issue tracking, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), and more. It is valued for its open-source model, strong security features, user-friendly interface, and a wide range of integrations. GitLab's all-in-one approach allows teams to manage their entire DevOps lifecycle from a single application, which can help improve collaboration and efficiency.

Recommended for

    GitLab is well-suited for developers, DevOps engineers, project managers, and teams that require robust CI/CD capabilities, strong security features, and an open-source platform that can be self-hosted or used as a cloud service. It is particularly beneficial for organizations looking for a comprehensive solution to streamline their development workflows.

AWS Secrets Manager videos

Understanding AWS Secrets Manager - AWS Online Tech Talks

More videos:

  • Review - AWS Secrets Manager
  • Tutorial - Python - How to access DB credentials from AWS Secrets Manager? | AWS Secrets Manager Tutorial

GitLab videos

Introduction to GitLab Workflow

More videos:

  • Review - GitLab Review App Working Session

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to AWS Secrets Manager and GitLab)
Identity And Access Management
Code Collaboration
0 0%
100% 100
Identity Provider
100 100%
0% 0
Git
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare AWS Secrets Manager and GitLab

AWS Secrets Manager Reviews

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GitLab Reviews

  1. Reinhard
    · Boss at CLOUD Meister ·
    perfect for Freelancers!

The Top 11 Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Tools
GitLab’s in-context testing solution simplifies the development process by automating both application and infrastructure management on a single platform.Why We Picked GitLab: We like GitLab’s automation of testing and compliance across development workflows. Its in-context testing minimizes license costs and reduces the learning curve.
The Top 10 GitHub Alternatives
GitLab is a web-based DevSecOps (take that, Call of Duty) platform that allows software development teams to plan, build, and ship secure code all in one application. GitLab offers a range of features and tools to support the entire software development lifecycle, from project planning and source code management to continuous integration, delivery, and deployment.
The Best Alternatives to Jenkins for Developers
CI/CD GitLab, as a complete DevOps platform, provides an integrated CI/CD solution along with its other features. If your team is already using GitLab for controlling versions and managing projects, the addition of GitLab CI/CD can be very smooth. The offering in CI/CD by GitLab is quite customizable and it backs up many programming languages as well as application test...
Source: morninglif.com
Top 7 GitHub Alternatives You Should Know (2024)
Most of the listed alternatives offer free tier plans for individuals or small teams. Tools like GitLab and Bitbucket allow users to host unlimited repositories without cost.
Source: snappify.com
Best GitHub Alternatives for Developers in 2023
While GitLab features an extensive set of capabilities, this can also serve as a weakness since beginners may find the developer tool overwhelming to begin with. The user interface compounds this issue by being outdated and unintuitive. GitLab could benefit from more third-party integrations, and its performance tends to struggle when dealing with large repositories or CI/CD...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitLab should be more popular than AWS Secrets Manager. It has been mentiond 135 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

AWS Secrets Manager mentions (77)

  • Do You Really Know Where Your API Keys End Up? A Security Guide for Fintech Developers
    Step 3. Use a Secrets Manager Environment variables have some limitations in production environments. Consider using a specialized secrets manager such as AWS Secrets Manager, Google Secret Manager, HashiCorp Vault, or Azure Key Vault. - Source: dev.to / 12 days ago
  • Your Plaintext Email is a DevSecOps Blind Spot
    A Hardened Channel for Sensitive Communication: While dedicated secrets management tools (like HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, etc.) are essential for storing and managing application secrets, secure E2EE email provides a significantly safer channel for human-to-human communication that might involve discussing sensitive topics, sharing unavoidable one-off credentials (with immediate rotation plans), or... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Building Custom Kendra Connectors and Managing Data Sources with IaC
    Some data sources are protected by some form of credentials. Unless the data source is a public website or stored in another AWS resource such as Amazon S3, Kendra or your custom data source will need credentials to fetch data. In either case, AWS Secrets Manager can be used to securely manage your credentials. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Deploy AWS Lambda Functions and Amazon DynamoDB with AWS CDK on LocalStack
    In this example, we need to set up two AWS Lambda, AWS Secrets Manager and Amazon DynamoDB resources. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Enhancing Your CI/CD Security: Tips and Techniques to Mitigate Risks
    You have to handle secrets like API keys and passwords carefully. Instead of hardcoding them into your code, you should use secure secrets management tools like HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager. Additionally, following API key authentication best practices ensures secure handling of sensitive credentials. This keeps sensitive information protected and reduces the risk of accidental leaks. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

GitLab mentions (135)

  • Cross-Compiling Haskell under NixOS with Docker
    I attended the AWS Summit 2025 in Singapore. I enjoyed the event. There were booths from various companies which I found interesting, such as GitLab and ClickHouse. More importantly, I got to meet very interesting people. - Source: dev.to / 9 days ago
  • GitLab: templates for Merge Requests
    GitLab is a well-established tool that hardly needs any introduction. This article is more like some notes to my future self. - Source: dev.to / 11 days ago
  • India Open Source Development: Harnessing Collaborative Innovation for Global Impact
    Indian developers have embraced platforms like GitHub and GitLab, which serve as global meeting points for coding projects. Developer communities such as FOSSAsia and Open Source India regularly organize hackathons, webinars, and code sprints that bring together enthusiasts to tackle both local and global problems. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Open Source Funding: Strategies, Case Studies, and Best Practices
    In this article, we explore funding methods that empower projects such as Red Hat, GitLab, and Blender. Our discussion focuses on overlaying robust financial models with community-led efforts while incorporating advanced technologies like blockchain and smart contracts for secure, transparent fund distribution. With clear definitions, tables, bullet lists, and real-world examples, we aim to provide a holistic view... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • The Hidden Challenges of Building with AWS
    💡** My Take:** If you’re not ready to spend hours debugging AWS configurations, you might want to consider other cloud options, such as DigitalOcean or Gitlab for CI/CD. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing AWS Secrets Manager and GitLab, you can also consider the following products

Microsoft Azure Active Directory - Azure Active Directory is a comprehensive identity and access management cloud solution that provides a robust set of capabilities to manage users and groups and help secure access to applications including Microsoft online services like Office 365 …

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

SecureLink for Enterprise - Privileged Access Management

BitBucket - Bitbucket is a free code hosting site for Mercurial and Git. Manage your development with a hosted wiki, issue tracker and source code.

JumpCloud - Cloud-based directory services. Alternative to Microsoft Active Directory.

Gitea - A painless self-hosted Git service