Azure Security Keyvault Secrets Java

MicrosoftOfficialCreated by Microsoft

Skill
Tool integration
Cloud and DevOps
MIT
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From the author

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.

— the description by Microsoft

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides guidance and code examples for using the Azure Key Vault Secrets Java SDK. It covers the full lifecycle of secret management, including creating, retrieving, updating, listing, and deleting secrets. It also includes patterns for handling asynchronous operations, secret rotation, and error management, ensuring secure handling of credentials like API keys and connection strings in Java applications.

What it does

Provides setup instructions for the Azure Key Vault Secrets Java dependency.
Demonstrates how to authenticate and initialize synchronous and asynchronous clients.
Shows how to create, retrieve, and update secret values and their metadata.
Explains how to list, delete, recover, and purge secrets from a vault.
Offers patterns for batch loading secrets and implementing secret rotation.
Includes best practices for security, such as using tags and setting expiration dates.

When to use it

When you need to securely store passwords, API keys, or connection strings in a Java application.
When integrating Azure Key Vault into a Java project for centralized secret management.
When you need to implement automated secret rotation or lifecycle management.
When building cloud-native Java services that require secure access to sensitive configuration.

Advantages

Centralizes secret management, reducing the risk of hardcoded credentials.
Supports both synchronous and asynchronous programming models.
Provides built-in support for secret versioning and soft-delete recovery.
Integrates seamlessly with Azure Identity for secure authentication.

Usage examples

“How do I retrieve a database password from Azure Key Vault in Java?”: The agent provides the code to initialize a SecretClient and use the getSecret method to fetch the latest version of the specified secret.
“Show me how to rotate a secret in Azure Key Vault using the Java SDK.”: The agent provides a code pattern that disables the current secret version and creates a new version with the updated value.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/azure-security-keyvault-secrets-java/download

Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip azure-security-keyvault-secrets-java.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Microsoft

Azure Key Vault Secrets (Java)

Securely store and manage secrets like passwords, API keys, and connection strings.

Installation

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.azure</groupId>
    <artifactId>azure-security-keyvault-secrets</artifactId>
    <version>4.9.0</version>
</dependency>

Client Creation

import com.azure.core.credential.TokenCredential;
import com.azure.identity.AzureIdentityEnvVars;
import com.azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder;
import com.azure.identity.ManagedIdentityCredentialBuilder;
import com.azure.security.keyvault.secrets.SecretClient;
import com.azure.security.keyvault.secrets.SecretClientBuilder;

// Local dev: DefaultAzureCredential. Production: set AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod or AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>
TokenCredential credential = new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder()
    .requireEnvVars(AzureIdentityEnvVars.AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS)
    .build();
// Or use a specific credential directly in production:
// See https://learn.microsoft.com/java/api/overview/azure/identity-readme?view=azure-java-stable#credential-classes
// TokenCredential credential = new ManagedIdentityCredentialBuilder().build();

// Sync client
SecretClient secretClient = new SecretClientBuilder()
    .vaultUrl("https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net")
    .credential(credential)
    .buildClient();

// Async client
SecretAsyncClient secretAsyncClient = new SecretClientBuilder()
    .vaultUrl("https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net")
    .credential(credential)
    .buildAsyncClient();

Create/Set Secret

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

// 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

// 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

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

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

// 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

// 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

// 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

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

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

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

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

AZURE_KEYVAULT_URL=https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net  # Required for vault URL
AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod  # Required only if DefaultAzureCredential is used in production

Best Practices

Enable Soft Delete - Protects against accidental deletion
Use Tags - Tag secrets with environment, service, owner
Set Expiration - Use setExpiresOn() for credentials that should rotate
Content Type - Set contentType to indicate format (e.g., application/json)
Version Management - Don't delete old versions immediately during rotation
Access Logging - Enable diagnostic logging on Key Vault
Least Privilege - Use separate vaults for different environments

Common Secret Types

// 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"

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer1015 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
SKILL.md11.9 KiB
references/examples.md11.7 KiB

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs an API key

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

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Attribution and licence

Created by

Microsoft

Publisher

Microsoft (Official)

Source

microsoft/skills · .github/plugins/azure-sdk-java/skills/azure-security-keyvault-secrets-java · commit 0696600

Licence

MIT License (redistribution allowed)

LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)

Synced

2026-11-09

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or Microsoft.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download azure-security-keyvault-secrets-java.zip