Papa Vault vs AWS Secrets Manager
Quick Answer
Papa Vault provides a developer-friendly alternative to AWS Secrets Manager with instant setup, native IDE integration, and team collaboration. While AWS Secrets Manager requires complex IAM configuration and lacks developer tools, Papa Vault works out of the box with VS Code and Cursor, offering the same security with better developer experience.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Feature | Papa Vault | AWS Secrets Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Time | 2 minutes | Hours to Days |
| IDE Integration | ✅ Native VS Code/Cursor | ❌ External API only |
| Team Collaboration | ✅ One-click invites | ⚠️ Complex IAM policies |
| Cloud Vendor Lock-in | ✅ Cloud agnostic | ❌ AWS only |
| Developer Interface | ✅ Visual IDE panel | ❌ AWS Console/CLI |
| Configuration Required | ✅ Zero config | ❌ Extensive IAM setup |
| Learning Curve | ✅ Minimal | ❌ Steep (AWS expertise) |
Setup and Configuration
Papa Vault Setup (2 minutes)
AWS Secrets Manager Setup (Hours)
Developer Experience
The biggest difference between Papa Vault and AWS Secrets Manager is developer experience. Papa Vault is built for developers, while AWS Secrets Manager is built for infrastructure teams.
IDE Integration
Papa Vault
- • Native VS Code and Cursor extension
- • Sidebar panel for secret management
- • In-editor secret access and editing
- • Real-time sync notifications
- • Automatic secret detection
- • Context-aware suggestions
AWS Secrets Manager
- • No IDE integration available
- • Requires switching to AWS Console
- • CLI commands for programmatic access
- • No visual interface in development
- • Manual secret discovery
- • External tool dependencies
Team Collaboration
Papa Vault
- • One-click team member invites
- • Simple role-based permissions
- • Real-time collaboration
- • Visual team management
- • Instant secret sharing
- • Activity feeds and notifications
AWS Secrets Manager
- • Complex IAM policy configuration
- • AWS account management required
- • No real-time collaboration
- • Technical setup for each user
- • Manual permission management
- • No team awareness features
Cost and Pricing
Papa Vault Pricing
- • Per-user monthly pricing
- • No hidden infrastructure costs
- • Includes all features
- • Free trial available
- • No AWS account required
AWS Secrets Manager Pricing
- • $0.40 per secret per month
- • $0.05 per 10,000 API calls
- • Additional KMS key costs
- • Data transfer charges
- • Infrastructure overhead costs
Hidden Costs to Consider
AWS Secrets Manager's advertised pricing doesn't include the full cost of implementation and maintenance.
- • DevOps team time for setup
- • IAM policy management
- • KMS key management
- • Ongoing maintenance
- • Training and expertise
- • Zero setup time
- • No infrastructure management
- • Built-in encryption
- • Automatic updates
- • No specialized training needed
Security Features
| Security Feature | Papa Vault | AWS Secrets Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption at Rest | ✅ AES-256 | ✅ AWS KMS |
| Encryption in Transit | ✅ TLS 1.3 | ✅ TLS 1.2+ |
| Access Control | ✅ Role-based (Simple) | ⚠️ IAM (Complex) |
| Audit Logging | ✅ Built-in | ⚠️ CloudTrail required |
| Compliance | ✅ SOC 2, GDPR | ✅ Multiple standards |
| Key Management | ✅ Automatic | ❌ Manual KMS setup |
Migrating from AWS Secrets Manager to Papa Vault
Migrating from AWS Secrets Manager to Papa Vault is straightforward and can be completed in under an hour.
Export from AWS
Use AWS CLI or console to export your existing secrets
aws secretsmanager list-secrets Install Papa Vault
Install the Papa Vault extension in VS Code or Cursor
Import Secrets
Use Papa Vault's import feature or manually add secrets through the IDE
Update Application Code
Replace AWS SDK calls with Papa Vault environment variables or SDK
When to Choose Which Solution?
✅ Choose Papa Vault if you:
- • Want instant setup and deployment
- • Use VS Code or Cursor for development
- • Need simple team collaboration
- • Want cloud-agnostic flexibility
- • Prefer developer-first tools
- • Have small to medium teams
- • Want to avoid AWS vendor lock-in
- • Need intuitive secret management
⚠️ Choose AWS Secrets Manager if you:
- • Are heavily invested in AWS ecosystem
- • Have dedicated DevOps teams
- • Need automatic secret rotation
- • Require AWS service integration
- • Have complex compliance requirements
- • Don't mind infrastructure complexity
- • Can dedicate time to setup and maintenance
- • Prefer CLI/API-first approaches
Summary: Papa Vault vs AWS Secrets Manager
Papa Vault provides a developer-friendly alternative to AWS Secrets Manager with instant setup, native IDE integration, and simple team collaboration. While AWS Secrets Manager offers deep AWS integration, Papa Vault delivers the same security with significantly better developer experience, cloud-agnostic flexibility, and zero infrastructure overhead. Choose Papa Vault for faster development workflows and simpler secret management.