How do you manage and use credentials stored in the template folder in your work?

Credentials in the template folder are usually stored as configuration file templates or environment variables used for automating deployment and service configuration. In my work, I use them as follows:

• I keep templates separate from actual secrets to prevent leaks.
• During deployment or script execution, I substitute real values from secure storage (e.g., Vault, AWS Secrets Manager) instead of templates.
• I use tools like Ansible, Helm, or Terraform, which allow dynamic replacement of template credentials with current ones.
• I ensure that the repository contains no real secrets, only templates with placeholders.

Example: in the config.template.yaml template, there is a line password: {{DB_PASSWORD}}, and during deployment, the script replaces {{DB_PASSWORD}} with the actual password from secure storage.