---
name: azure-security-keyvault-secrets-java
description: Azure Key Vault Secrets Java SDK for secret management. Use when storing, retrieving, or managing passwords, API keys, connection strings, or other sensitive configuration data.
package: com.azure:azure-security-keyvault-secrets
---
# Azure Key Vault Secrets (Java)
Securely store and manage secrets like passwords, API keys, and connection strings.
## Installation
```xml
<dependency>
<groupId>com.azure</groupId>
<artifactId>azure-security-keyvault-secrets</artifactId>
<version>4.9.0</version>
</dependency>
```
## Client Creation
```java
import com.azure.security.keyvault.secrets.SecretClient;
import com.azure.security.keyvault.secrets.SecretClientBuilder;
import com.azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder;
// Sync client
SecretClient secretClient = new SecretClientBuilder()
.vaultUrl("https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net")
.credential(new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build())
.buildClient();
// Async client
SecretAsyncClient secretAsyncClient = new SecretClientBuilder()
.vaultUrl("https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net")
.credential(new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build())
.buildAsyncClient();
```
## Create/Set Secret
```java
import com.azure.security.keyvault.secrets.models.KeyVaultSecret;
// Simple secret
KeyVaultSecret secret = secretClient.setSecret("database-password", "P@ssw0rd123!");
System.out.println("Secret name: " + secret.getName());
System.out.println("Secret ID: " + secret.getId());
// Secret with options
KeyVaultSecret secretWithOptions = secretClient.setSecret(
new KeyVaultSecret("api-key", "sk_live_abc123xyz")
.setProperties(new SecretProperties()
.setContentType("application/json")
.setExpiresOn(OffsetDateTime.now().plusYears(1))
.setNotBefore(OffsetDateTime.now())
.setEnabled(true)
.setTags(Map.of(
"environment", "production",
"service", "payment-api"
))
)
);
```
## Get Secret
```java
// Get latest version
KeyVaultSecret secret = secretClient.getSecret("database-password");
String value = secret.getValue();
System.out.println("Secret value: " + value);
// Get specific version
KeyVaultSecret specificVersion = secretClient.getSecret("database-password", "<version-id>");
// Get only properties (no value)
SecretProperties props = secretClient.getSecret("database-password").getProperties();
System.out.println("Enabled: " + props.isEnabled());
System.out.println("Created: " + props.getCreatedOn());
```
## Update Secret Properties
```java
// Get secret
KeyVaultSecret secret = secretClient.getSecret("api-key");
// Update properties (cannot update value - create new version instead)
secret.getProperties()
.setEnabled(false)
.setExpiresOn(OffsetDateTime.now().plusMonths(6))
.setTags(Map.of("status", "rotating"));
SecretProperties updated = secretClient.updateSecretProperties(secret.getProperties());
System.out.println("Updated: " + updated.getUpdatedOn());
```
## List Secrets
```java
import com.azure.core.util.paging.PagedIterable;
import com.azure.security.keyvault.secrets.models.SecretProperties;
// List all secrets (properties only, no values)
for (SecretProperties secretProps : secretClient.listPropertiesOfSecrets()) {
System.out.println("Secret: " + secretProps.getName());
System.out.println(" Enabled: " + secretProps.isEnabled());
System.out.println(" Created: " + secretProps.getCreatedOn());
System.out.println(" Content-Type: " + secretProps.getContentType());
// Get value if needed
if (secretProps.isEnabled()) {
KeyVaultSecret fullSecret = secretClient.getSecret(secretProps.getName());
System.out.println(" Value: " + fullSecret.getValue().substring(0, 5) + "...");
}
}
// List versions of a secret
for (SecretProperties version : secretClient.listPropertiesOfSecretVersions("database-password")) {
System.out.println("Version: " + version.getVersion());
System.out.println("Created: " + version.getCreatedOn());
System.out.println("Enabled: " + version.isEnabled());
}
```
## Delete Secret
```java
import com.azure.core.util.polling.SyncPoller;
import com.azure.security.keyvault.secrets.models.DeletedSecret;
// Begin delete (returns poller for soft-delete enabled vaults)
SyncPoller<DeletedSecret, Void> deletePoller = secretClient.beginDeleteSecret("old-secret");
// Wait for deletion
DeletedSecret deletedSecret = deletePoller.poll().getValue();
System.out.println("Deleted on: " + deletedSecret.getDeletedOn());
System.out.println("Scheduled purge: " + deletedSecret.getScheduledPurgeDate());
deletePoller.waitForCompletion();
```
## Recover Deleted Secret
```java
// List deleted secrets
for (DeletedSecret deleted : secretClient.listDeletedSecrets()) {
System.out.println("Deleted: " + deleted.getName());
System.out.println("Deletion date: " + deleted.getDeletedOn());
}
// Recover deleted secret
SyncPoller<KeyVaultSecret, Void> recoverPoller = secretClient.beginRecoverDeletedSecret("old-secret");
recoverPoller.waitForCompletion();
KeyVaultSecret recovered = recoverPoller.getFinalResult();
System.out.println("Recovered: " + recovered.getName());
```
## Purge Deleted Secret
```java
// Permanently delete (cannot be recovered)
secretClient.purgeDeletedSecret("old-secret");
// Get deleted secret info first
DeletedSecret deleted = secretClient.getDeletedSecret("old-secret");
System.out.println("Will purge: " + deleted.getName());
secretClient.purgeDeletedSecret("old-secret");
```
## Backup and Restore
```java
// Backup secret (all versions)
byte[] backup = secretClient.backupSecret("important-secret");
// Save to file
Files.write(Paths.get("secret-backup.blob"), backup);
// Restore from backup
byte[] backupData = Files.readAllBytes(Paths.get("secret-backup.blob"));
KeyVaultSecret restored = secretClient.restoreSecretBackup(backupData);
System.out.println("Restored: " + restored.getName());
```
## Async Operations
```java
SecretAsyncClient asyncClient = new SecretClientBuilder()
.vaultUrl("https://<vault>.vault.azure.net")
.credential(new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build())
.buildAsyncClient();
// Set secret async
asyncClient.setSecret("async-secret", "async-value")
.subscribe(
secret -> System.out.println("Created: " + secret.getName()),
error -> System.out.println("Error: " + error.getMessage())
);
// Get secret async
asyncClient.getSecret("async-secret")
.subscribe(secret -> System.out.println("Value: " + secret.getValue()));
// List secrets async
asyncClient.listPropertiesOfSecrets()
.doOnNext(props -> System.out.println("Found: " + props.getName()))
.subscribe();
```
## Configuration Patterns
### Load Multiple Secrets
```java
public class ConfigLoader {
private final SecretClient client;
public ConfigLoader(String vaultUrl) {
this.client = new SecretClientBuilder()
.vaultUrl(vaultUrl)
.credential(new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build())
.buildClient();
}
public Map<String, String> loadSecrets(List<String> secretNames) {
Map<String, String> secrets = new HashMap<>();
for (String name : secretNames) {
try {
KeyVaultSecret secret = client.getSecret(name);
secrets.put(name, secret.getValue());
} catch (ResourceNotFoundException e) {
System.out.println("Secret not found: " + name);
}
}
return secrets;
}
}
// Usage
ConfigLoader loader = new ConfigLoader("https://my-vault.vault.azure.net");
Map<String, String> config = loader.loadSecrets(
Arrays.asList("db-connection-string", "api-key", "jwt-secret")
);
```
### Secret Rotation Pattern
```java
public void rotateSecret(String secretName, String newValue) {
// Get current secret
KeyVaultSecret current = secretClient.getSecret(secretName);
// Disable old version
current.getProperties().setEnabled(false);
secretClient.updateSecretProperties(current.getProperties());
// Create new version with new value
KeyVaultSecret newSecret = secretClient.setSecret(secretName, newValue);
System.out.println("Rotated to version: " + newSecret.getProperties().getVersion());
}
```
## Error Handling
```java
import com.azure.core.exception.HttpResponseException;
import com.azure.core.exception.ResourceNotFoundException;
try {
KeyVaultSecret secret = secretClient.getSecret("my-secret");
System.out.println("Value: " + secret.getValue());
} catch (ResourceNotFoundException e) {
System.out.println("Secret not found");
} catch (HttpResponseException e) {
int status = e.getResponse().getStatusCode();
if (status == 403) {
System.out.println("Access denied - check permissions");
} else if (status == 429) {
System.out.println("Rate limited - retry later");
} else {
System.out.println("HTTP error: " + status);
}
}
```
## Secret Properties
| Property | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `name` | Secret name |
| `value` | Secret value (string) |
| `id` | Full identifier URL |
| `contentType` | MIME type hint |
| `enabled` | Whether secret can be retrieved |
| `notBefore` | Activation time |
| `expiresOn` | Expiration time |
| `createdOn` | Creation timestamp |
| `updatedOn` | Last update timestamp |
| `recoveryLevel` | Soft-delete recovery level |
| `tags` | User-defined metadata |
## Environment Variables
```bash
AZURE_KEYVAULT_URL=https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net
```
## Best Practices
1. **Enable Soft Delete** - Protects against accidental deletion
2. **Use Tags** - Tag secrets with environment, service, owner
3. **Set Expiration** - Use `setExpiresOn()` for credentials that should rotate
4. **Content Type** - Set `contentType` to indicate format (e.g., `application/json`)
5. **Version Management** - Don't delete old versions immediately during rotation
6. **Access Logging** - Enable diagnostic logging on Key Vault
7. **Least Privilege** - Use separate vaults for different environments
## Common Secret Types
```java
// Database connection string
secretClient.setSecret(new KeyVaultSecret("db-connection",
"Server=myserver.database.windows.net;Database=mydb;...")
.setProperties(new SecretProperties()
.setContentType("text/plain")
.setTags(Map.of("type", "connection-string"))));
// API key
secretClient.setSecret(new KeyVaultSecret("stripe-api-key", "sk_live_...")
.setProperties(new SecretProperties()
.setContentType("text/plain")
.setExpiresOn(OffsetDateTime.now().plusYears(1))));
// JSON configuration
secretClient.setSecret(new KeyVaultSecret("app-config",
"{\"endpoint\":\"https://...\",\"key\":\"...\"}")
.setProperties(new SecretProperties()
.setContentType("application/json")));
// Certificate password
secretClient.setSecret(new KeyVaultSecret("cert-password", "CertP@ss!")
.setProperties(new SecretProperties()
.setContentType("text/plain")
.setTags(Map.of("certificate", "my-cert"))));
```
## Trigger Phrases
- "Key Vault secrets Java", "secret management Java"
- "store password", "store API key", "connection string"
- "retrieve secret", "rotate secret"
- "Azure secrets", "vault secrets"
