ECS task not able to read secret from Secrets Manager

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I have set up an ECS cluster and have some tasks running on it. One of the tasks connects to the DB via URL. I have added the DB URL to Secrets Manager and referenced the secret's ARN in the task definition, but the task is unable to read it. The error I get is something like "DB URL is invalid". It seems to me that the task has proper access to the secret but is unable to read it.

What could I be doing wrong? Can someone please help me? Thanks.

2 Answers
1
Accepted Answer

Hello.

For debugging purposes, can you try using "print()" or similar in your application to check whether the DB URL registered in Secrets Manager is output in the format you expect?
If the ECS task can access the secret, then at the very least the container should be able to reference the contents related to the DB URL, so I think it is necessary to check whether the secret has been obtained in a format that can be used to connect.

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EXPERT
answered 19 days ago
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reviewed 15 days ago
  • The secret is in an object. The output is something like `{ "key": "secret value"}. My app is built to handle a string and not an object.

  • I fixed it. I initially saved the secret as a key/value pair in Secrets Manager. Now I saved it as a string in plaintext. I wish it was more clear how we use secret manager.

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There are a few potential reasons why your ECS task might be unable to read the secret from AWS Secrets Manager:

  1. Task Execution Role Permissions: Ensure that the Task Execution Role associated with your ECS task has the correct permissions. It should have the "secretsmanager:GetSecretValue" permission to access the secret in Secrets Manager. Double-check that this permission is included in the IAM policy attached to the role.

  2. Region Mismatch: Verify that the secret is stored in the same AWS region as your ECS task. If the secret is in a different region, the task won't be able to access it. You may need to create the secret in the correct region and update your task definition accordingly.

  3. Incorrect Secret ARN: Double-check that the secret ARN specified in your task definition is correct. Even a small typo can prevent the task from accessing the secret.

  4. Network Connectivity: If your task is running in a VPC, ensure that there's proper network connectivity between the task and the Secrets Manager VPC endpoint. Look for error messages containing phrases like "dial tcp", "i/o timeout", or "TLS handshake timeout", which could indicate network issues.

  5. Secret Format: Make sure the secret in Secrets Manager is stored in the correct format. If the task is expecting a specific format for the DB URL, ensure that the secret value matches this format.

To troubleshoot:

  1. Verify the Task Execution Role permissions in the IAM console.
  2. Check the region of both your ECS task and the secret in Secrets Manager.
  3. Review your task definition to confirm the secret ARN is correct.
  4. Test the network connectivity between your task and Secrets Manager.
  5. Try to retrieve the secret manually using the AWS CLI to ensure it's accessible and in the correct format.

If you're still encountering issues after checking these points, you may want to review the CloudWatch logs for your task to look for more detailed error messages that could provide additional clues about the problem.
Sources
Manage secrets and access keys for Amazon ECS | AWS re:Post
Troubleshooting Amazon ECS ResourceNotFoundException errors - Amazon Elastic Container Service
Best practices for secrets management in Amazon ECS - Amazon Elastic Container Service
Secrets management - Amazon Elastic Container Service

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answered 19 days ago
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reviewed 19 days ago

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