Secrets

Overview

The Secrets section (Settings → Secrets) allows you to securely store and manage sensitive information such as passwords, tokens, API keys, and other authentication details. This centralized system enables you to configure secrets once and utilize them across various components within ELITEA.

Project Selection

Select the appropriate project from the project dropdown menu to manage secrets specific to that project.

Navigating the Secrets Settings Menu

Permissions Required

The Secrets section is not available for users with Viewer or Monitor roles. Only users with System, Admin, or Editor roles can access this section. Secret creation, editing, and deletion capabilities are further restricted based on your assigned role permissions.

To access the Secrets section:

1. Click on the Settings icon in the main navigation sidebar.
2. Select Secrets from the vertical navigation drawer on the left.
3. The Secrets management interface will display in the main content area.

Main Components

The Secrets section interface includes the following key elements:

• Search Field: Located in the header, allows you to filter secrets by name
• + Button: Creates new secret entries (visible when you have secret creation permissions)
• Secrets Table: Displays all project secrets with columns for Name, Value, and Actions
• Pagination Controls: Located at the bottom of the table for navigating through secrets lists (supports 5, 10, 50, or 100 secrets per page)
• Action Icons: Show/Hide, Edit, and Delete options for individual secret management

Secrets Table

The Secrets section displays a table with the following information for each secret:

• Name: The identifier for the secret (cannot be edited after creation)
• Value: The masked secret value (displayed as hidden by default for security)
• Actions: Show/Hide, Edit, and Delete options for managing secrets

Table Features

The secrets table supports:

• Sorting: Click the Name column header to sort secrets alphabetically
• Pagination: Navigate between pages and change the number of secrets displayed per page (5, 10, 50, or 100)
• Search: Filter secrets by name using the search field in the header

Creating a Secret

To add a new secret to your project:

1. Click the + button in the top-right corner of the Secrets section.
2. A new editable row will appear at the current pagination position:
3. Enter a unique name for the secret in the Name field
4. Enter the secret value (password, token, API key, etc.) in the Value field
5. Click the ✓ (checkmark) icon to save the secret, or click the ✗ (close) icon to cancel.

Secret Name Requirements

• Secret names must be unique within the project
• The name cannot be changed after the secret is created
• Allowed characters: letters (a-z, A-Z), numbers (0-9), and underscores (_)
• Hyphens and special characters are not permitted
• Choose descriptive names that clearly identify the secret's purpose

Managing Secrets

The Secrets table provides several actions for managing your configured secrets:

Default Secrets

ELITEA automatically creates default secrets that are critical for project functionality. These include system-provisioned authentication tokens, database connection strings, and other platform-critical credentials.

Important Restrictions:

• Default secrets are read-only and cannot be modified or deleted
• Users can only view secret values using the eye icon
• Edit, Hide, and Delete actions are disabled for these secrets

Attempting to modify or delete default secrets may impact your project's core functionality.

Viewing Secrets

To reveal a secret's value:

1. Click the 👁 (eye) icon in the Actions column.
2. The secret value will be revealed in place of the masked value.
3. Click the 👁‍🗨 (eye with slash) icon to hide the secret value again.

Copying Secrets

To copy a secret value to your clipboard:

1. Click the masked secret value in the Value column.
2. The secret will be automatically copied to your clipboard.

Editing Secrets

To update a secret's value:

1. Click the ⋮ (three dots) icon in the Actions column.
2. Select Edit value from the menu.
3. The Value field becomes editable (the Name field cannot be edited).
4. Enter the new secret value.
5. Click the ✓ (checkmark) icon to save, or click the ✗ (close) icon to cancel.

Search and Filter

Use the search input at the top of the page to quickly find secrets by name. Enter your search term in the Search field to filter the secrets list.

Hiding Secrets

To permanently hide a secret from the UI:

1. Click the ⋮ (three dots) icon in the Actions column.
2. Select Hide from the menu.
3. In the confirmation dialog, type the secret name to confirm.
4. Click Confirm to hide the secret.

What Happens When You Hide a Secret:

• UI Removal: The secret is completely removed from the Secrets table and will no longer be visible in the interface
• Dropdown Availability: Hidden secrets will not appear in the secret selection dropdown when creating or editing credentials
• Existing Credentials: Credentials that already reference the hidden secret continue to function normally - the secret value continues to be used as a password for authentication

Permanent Action

Once hidden, the secret is completely removed from the Secrets table and will no longer be visible in the UI. Hidden secrets cannot be unhidden.

Example

If you hide github_api_token that's currently used by 3 credentials, those 3 credentials will continue to authenticate successfully, but you won't be able to select this secret for any new credentials.

Deleting Secrets

To remove a secret from the project:

1. Click the ⋮ (three dots) icon in the Actions column.
2. Select Delete from the menu.
3. In the confirmation dialog, type the secret name to confirm deletion.
4. Click Delete to confirm, or Cancel to abort.

What Happens When You Delete a Secret:

• Complete Removal: Both the secret and its value are permanently deleted from the system
• Existing Credentials Affected: All credentials referencing the deleted secret will fail authentication immediately
• Cannot Be Recovered: Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone

Permanent Deletion

Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. All credentials using this secret will fail authentication immediately.

Hide vs Delete: Understanding the Difference

It's important to understand the distinction between hiding and deleting secrets, as they have different impacts on your credentials and integrations:

Feature	Hide	Delete
UI Visibility	Removed from Secrets table	Removed from Secrets table
Secret Value	Preserved in the system	Permanently deleted
Existing Credentials	Continue to work normally	Fail authentication immediately
New Credentials	Cannot select this secret	Cannot select this secret
Reversibility	Cannot be unhidden through UI	Cannot be recovered
Use Case	Prevent new usage while maintaining existing integrations	Completely remove unused secrets

Using Secrets in Credentials

Secrets can be referenced in credentials to securely store authentication details for integrations and toolkits. This approach provides centralized management and enhanced security compared to storing values directly in each credential.

When creating or editing a credential:

1. Navigate to the Credentials page from the main navigation.
2. Create a new credential or edit an existing one.
3. For authentication fields (tokens, API keys, passwords), toggle between:
4. Password: Direct value entry (plain text)
5. Secret: Select from existing secrets dropdown
6. Select your desired secret from the dropdown.

Secret Availability

Only secrets existing in your project appear in the dropdown. Deleting or hiding a secret used by a credential may cause authentication failures.

Best Practices

Hide Before Delete

Before deleting a secret, consider hiding it first to prevent new usage while verifying that removing it won't break existing integrations. Once you've confirmed no active credentials depend on it, you can proceed with deletion.

Use Descriptive Secret Names

Choose clear, descriptive names for your secrets that indicate their purpose and where they're used. For example, use names like github_api_token or database_password_production rather than generic names like token1 or secret2.

Avoid Copying Secrets with Trailing Spaces

When copying secret values, ensure no trailing spaces or hidden characters are included. Use the copy functionality provided in the interface rather than manually selecting and copying text to avoid formatting issues.

Regular Secret Rotation

Periodically rotate sensitive credentials to maintain security. Update secret values when team members leave, after suspected compromises, or according to your organization's security policies.

Verify Secret Access Before Deletion

Before deleting a secret, verify that it's not being used by any agents, toolkits, or other components in your project. Deleting an active secret may cause functionality issues.

Document Secret Usage

Maintain documentation about which secrets are used by which components or integrations. This helps prevent accidental deletion and makes troubleshooting easier.