Techcle Wiki

Requirements

3 min read

Requirements Document

Introduction

This specification defines the central secret store system that provides centralized, automated secret management and distribution across the Kubernetes platform using External Secrets Operator (ESO).

Glossary

  • Central_Secret_Store: The centralized External Secrets Operator (ESO) ClusterSecretStore that manages all platform secrets
  • External_Secret: A custom resource that syncs secrets from external sources to Kubernetes secrets
  • Cluster_External_Secret: A cluster-scoped resource that creates ExternalSecrets in multiple namespaces
  • Secret_Template: The format specification for how secrets should be structured in target namespaces
  • Namespace_Selector: Label-based targeting mechanism for distributing secrets to appropriate namespaces
  • Secret_Store_Backend: The external system storing the source credentials (e.g., Kubernetes secrets, cloud providers)

Requirements

Requirement 1: Centralized Secret Management

User Story: As a platform administrator, I want all platform secrets to be managed from a central location, so that credentials are consistent, secure, and maintainable across all environments.

Acceptance Criteria

  1. THE Central_Secret_Store SHALL serve as the single source of truth for all platform credentials
  2. WHEN secrets are updated in the central store, THE System SHALL automatically propagate changes to all dependent namespaces
  3. THE System SHALL prevent manual secret creation in favor of automated distribution
  4. THE System SHALL maintain audit trails for all secret access and distribution
  5. WHEN the central store is unavailable, THE System SHALL continue operating with cached credentials

Requirement 2: Automated Secret Distribution

User Story: As a platform engineer, I want secrets to be automatically distributed to namespaces that need them, so that applications receive credentials without manual intervention.

Acceptance Criteria

  1. WHEN a namespace is created with appropriate labels, THE System SHALL automatically provision required secrets
  2. THE System SHALL use namespace selectors to target secret distribution to specific namespaces
  3. WHEN namespace labels change, THE System SHALL update secret distribution accordingly
  4. THE System SHALL support multiple distribution patterns (label-based, name-based, expression-based)
  5. WHEN secrets are no longer needed, THE System SHALL automatically clean up distributed secrets

Requirement 3: Secret Format and Type Management

User Story: As a developer, I want secrets to be provided in the correct format for their intended use, so that applications can consume them without compatibility issues.

Acceptance Criteria

  1. WHEN creating secrets for different purposes, THE System SHALL use appropriate Kubernetes secret types
  2. THE System SHALL support multiple secret formats from the same source credentials (dockerconfigjson, opaque, TLS, etc.)
  3. WHEN applications require specific secret structures, THE System SHALL provide templating capabilities
  4. THE System SHALL validate secret formats before distribution to prevent application failures
  5. WHEN secret formats are updated, THE System SHALL maintain backward compatibility during transitions

Requirement 4: Multi-Purpose Credential Support

User Story: As a platform administrator, I want to support different credential types for various platform services, so that all applications can authenticate to their required services.

Acceptance Criteria

  1. THE System SHALL support Docker registry credentials for container image authentication
  2. THE System SHALL support Git credentials for source code access
  3. THE System SHALL support OAuth credentials for application authentication
  4. THE System SHALL support TLS certificates for secure communications
  5. WHEN new credential types are needed, THE System SHALL provide extensible configuration patterns

Requirement 5: Security and Access Control

User Story: As a security administrator, I want secret distribution to follow principle of least privilege, so that credentials are only available where needed.

Acceptance Criteria

  1. WHEN distributing secrets, THE System SHALL enforce namespace-based access controls
  2. THE System SHALL prevent unauthorized access to secret source data
  3. WHEN secrets are distributed, THE System SHALL maintain encryption at rest and in transit
  4. THE System SHALL provide audit logging for all secret operations
  5. WHEN security policies change, THE System SHALL update access controls automatically

Graph View