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RunEnv vs AWS Secrets Manager
Teams often compare RunEnv with AWS Secrets Manager when production already lives on AWS. Secrets Manager stores secrets in an AWS account and authorizes callers through IAM. Confirm current AWS features, rotation, and pricing in AWS documentation. This page states what RunEnv does today.
At a glance
RunEnv facts versus a AWS Secrets Manager category snapshot.
The RunEnv column is the supported product. Confirm current AWS Secrets Manager capabilities in AWS Secrets Manager documentation before a purchasing decision.
| Dimension | RunEnv | AWS Secrets Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project and environment workspace for local, CI, Desktop, and coding-agent workflows. | AWS-native secret store authorized by IAM, used from AWS compute, Lambdas, and AWS SDKs. |
| Local development | `runenv login` plus `runenv run -- npm start` injects the selected environment without writing `.env` on that path. | Local access typically needs AWS credentials and SDK or CLI calls. Confirm current local patterns in AWS documentation. |
| AI agents | Agent Guard executes approved actions without handing the agent an AWS secret or RunEnv secret value. | An AWS access key or Secrets Manager value in an agent prompt is a standing credential. Confirm AWS’s current agent guidance independently. |
| Rotation | Static secrets version in RunEnv; production can require Change Requests. Dynamic secrets are a separate, documented path. | Secrets Manager documents managed rotation for some AWS services. Confirm current rotation coverage in AWS documentation. |
| Cloud coupling | Hosted RunEnv and self-hosted RunEnv are not limited to one cloud account. | Secrets Manager is an AWS account service. Multi-cloud or local-first teams often still need another workspace. |
| Moving from Secrets Manager | RunEnv currently accepts pasted JSON import. It does not sync live from AWS Secrets Manager or import IAM policies. | Leaving values in AWS and copying a subset into RunEnv is a manual boundary, not an automated migration. |
Choose AWS Secrets Manager if
- The secret only needs to exist for AWS compute that already authenticates with IAM.
- You rely on an AWS-managed rotation integration that RunEnv does not document.
- You need AWS-native audit in CloudTrail as the only control plane.
Choose RunEnv if
- Local developers, GitHub Actions, Desktop users, and coding agents need the same project/environment boundary.
- You want to stop passing `.env` files around while keeping `runenv run` off-disk for that path.
- You want Agent Guard so agents do not hold AWS or application secrets.
They can coexist
Some teams keep AWS-native credentials in Secrets Manager and use RunEnv for the application environment that developers actually run. That split only works if each secret has one owner. Do not duplicate production passwords in both systems without a written boundary.
What this page does not claim
RunEnv is not AWS Secrets Manager. It does not replace IAM, KMS key policy, or AWS-managed rotation coverage. Confirm AWS behavior in AWS documentation before a purchasing decision.