Skip to main content
All glossary terms

Credentials & security

Key management service (KMS)

A key-management service (KMS) provides controlled operations for creating, storing, using, and managing cryptographic keys. Applications may request operations such as encrypting data or wrapping a data key without directly handling the long-term key material.

Also known as KMS.

Why it matters in practice

A KMS can centralize identity checks, audit events, and key lifecycle controls, but its protection depends on policy configuration and the security of callers. Availability and recovery design matter because applications may need the service to access protected data. KMS use does not automatically make an application or its secrets secure.

Example

A service identity requests a data-key operation from its configured KMS, and the service records the operation for later review.

Educational note

This definition is general information, not legal advice. It may omit facts that matter to a specific situation and does not establish or guarantee compliance.