SOPS
An editor for encrypted configuration files that integrates with cloud and open-source key management systems
- Vendor
- Cloud Native Computing Foundation
- Also known as
- sops
What is SOPS?
A tool for encrypting and managing secrets stored in YAML, JSON, ENV, INI, and binary files, with support for multiple encryption backends including AWS KMS, Google Cloud KMS, Azure Key Vault, and PGP.
SOPS pricing
We don't have SOPS's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
What SOPS does
The capabilities that matter for secrets management tools, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Tool type
- Secret store / engine
- Dynamic (short-lived) secrets
- -
- Hosting
- Self-hosted only
- Automatic secret rotation
- -
- Encryption as a service (transit)
- ✓
- FIPS 140-2/3 validated crypto
- -
- HSM support
- -
- Fine-grained / identity-based policy
- ✓
- Audit logging
- -
- Kubernetes native (CRD / CSI / K8s auth)
- -
- PKI / certificate authority
- -
- Open-source core
- ✓
- CNCF maturity
- Sandbox
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
- Linux
- Self-hosted
Integrations (11)
Independently observed- AWS KMS
- Google Cloud KMS
- Azure KMS
- HuaweiCloud KMS
- HashiCorp Vault
- OpenBAO
- Age
- PGP
- GnuPG
- GCP KMS
- Azure Key Vault
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
SOPS FAQ
Common questions about SOPS, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is SOPS?
A configuration encryption tool that encrypts sensitive values and comments while keeping keys and file structure readable, supporting multiple formats and key management methods. It is indexed under Secrets Management Tools.
Source: https://getsops.io/
Is SOPS free to use?
SOPS is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MPL-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.
Source: https://getsops.io/
What platforms does SOPS support?
SOPS supports Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.
Source: https://getsops.io/
Can SOPS be self-hosted?
Yes. SOPS can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.
Source: https://getsops.io/
What does SOPS integrate with?
We have confirmed 9 integrations for SOPS, including AWS KMS, Google Cloud KMS, Azure KMS, HuaweiCloud KMS, HashiCorp Vault, OpenBAO, Age and PGP, plus 1 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.
Source: https://getsops.io/
Is SOPS open source?
Yes. SOPS is published under the MPL-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.
Source: https://github.com/getsops/sops
SOPS alternatives
Other secrets management tools we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- AWS Secrets ManagerCentrally store, encrypt, and manage application secrets with automatic rotationmedium · 73%
- DopplerCentral platform for managing and distributing secrets and credentials across cloud-based infrastructuremedium · 72%
- HashiCorp VaultA centralized platform for managing secrets, encryption operations, and access control across systemshigh · 75%
- InfisicalCentralized platform for managing secrets, certificates, and access credentials across infrastructuremedium · 68%
- AkeylessSecure identity and secret management for machines, AI agents, and human usersmedium · 73%
- OpenBaoAn open-source platform for storing and managing sensitive data and secretslow · 41%
Compare SOPS
Side by side against other secrets management tools, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for SOPS, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development activity | 42 | 0.09 | 4.0 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 76 | 0.05 | 3.9 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 58 | 0.06 | 3.6 | ✓ |
| Stars | 82 | 0.03 | 2.1 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 24 | 0.06 | 1.5 | ✓ |
| Dependent projects | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | ✓ |
| Security posture | 0 | 0.21 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.14 | 0.0 | - |
| Security score | 0 | 0.04 | 0.0 | - |
| Developer Q&A activity | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 21 | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 6 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 66% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Hosting: self · Tool type: store · Cncf project: sandbox · Open source core: Yes · Fine grained policy: Yes · Encryption as a service: Yes | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 6 | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Go | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | MPL-2.0 | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 95% |
Pricing
Release
Security
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Vulnerabilities | Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=alpine&package_name=sops&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0 | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 90% |
Is SOPS the right choice for you?
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