Maintaining the security of your OpenStack project is crucial. This section covers key security practices and features to help protect your resources and data.

Application Credentials

Why Use Application Credentials?

Application Credentials provide a more secure alternative to using your OpenStack username and password for authenticating applications or scripts. Benefits include:

  1. Limited Scope: Credentials can be restricted to specific projects.
  2. Fine-grained Access Control: You can define exact roles and permissions.
  3. Easy Revocation: Can be quickly deleted without affecting your main account.
  4. Reduced Risk: If compromised, only the specific credential is affected, not your entire account.
  5. Auditing: Easier to track which application or script is making specific API calls.

Managing Application Credentials

To create and manage Application Credentials:

  1. Navigate to the User Center (top right menu) and select Application Credentials
  2. Click “Create Application Credential”
  3. Set a name, expiration date (optional), and select appropriate roles
  4. Save the credential information securely upon creation

To revoke a credential:

  1. Go to the Application Credentials page
  2. Find the credential in the list
  3. Click “Delete Application Credential”

Best Practice: Regularly audit and rotate your application credentials.

Additional Security Measures

Network Security Groups

Use Network Security Groups to control inbound and outbound traffic to your instances. [Link to Network Security Group documentation]

Regular Security Audits

Perform regular audits of your project:

  • Review user access and roles
  • Check network configurations

Encryption

  • Implement SSL/TLS for all external communications

Keep Software Updated

Regularly update your OpenStack clients, SDKs, and any software running on your instances to patch security vulnerabilities.

Security Best Practices

  1. Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning roles
  2. Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts
  3. Implement proper log management and monitoring
  4. Educate team members on security policies and best practices
  5. Have an incident response plan in place

For any security concerns or to report a potential security issue, please contact our security team immediately at [security contact information].