What is the difference between secrets and config maps in Kubernetes?

In Kubernetes, ConfigMap and Secret are used to store configuration data but have different purposes and features:

• ConfigMap is intended for storing non-confidential configuration data, such as application settings, startup parameters, paths, etc. The data is stored in plain text.

• Secret is used for storing sensitive information: passwords, tokens, keys, and other secret data. In Kubernetes, data in Secrets is encoded (base64), which provides basic protection during storage and transmission.

Main differences:

• Security: Secrets are intended for more secure storage, ConfigMap is not.
• Handling: Secrets can be used with additional security mechanisms, such as integration with KMS.
• Usage: Both can be mounted as files or passed as environment variables, but Secrets are recommended for sensitive data.

Thus, if you need to store regular configuration parameters — use ConfigMap; if secrets — use Secret.