# Creating Secrets in Google Secret Manager

A connector uses a secret to connect Apono to the GCP environment cloud resources without storing any credentials. For GCP-based integrations, secrets are created and managed through [Google Secret Manager](https://cloud.google.com/security/products/secret-manager), a centralized, secure repository for storing this confidential information.

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### Prerequisites

<table><thead><tr><th width="257">Item</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Google Secret Manager</strong></td><td><a href="https://cloud.google.com/security/products/secret-manager">Google solution</a> for secure secret storage, key management, and certificate management<br><br>For more information on enabling, assigning, and authenticating Secret Manager, see <a href="https://cloud.google.com/secret-manager/docs/creating-and-accessing-secrets#before_you_begin">Google’s documentation</a>.<br><br></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Secret Manager Permissions</strong></td><td>Apono-specific permissions that allow the Secret Manager Secret Accessor to access your secret<br><br>To ensure that the Apono Connector can retrieve the secret, assign the following Secret Accessor role on the project or organization:<br><br><code>roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor</code><br><br></td></tr></tbody></table>

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### Create a Google Secret

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For more information on creating secrets, see [Google’s documentation](https://cloud.google.com/secret-manager/docs/creating-and-accessing-secrets).
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Follow these steps to create a secret in Google Secret Manager:

1. In Google Secret Manager, select **Create Secret**. The **Create Secret** page appears.
2. Enter an alphanumeric **Name** for the secret.

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The secret name can contain hyphens and underscores. The maximum allowed length is **255 characters**.
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3. Click **Create secret**.

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Once the secret has been created, you can retrieve the secret version ID to reference in your code.
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