output suppressed due to sensitive value in config how to supress it?

To address the issue of "output suppressed due to sensitive value in config," particularly within the context of Terraform, where such outputs are common, it’s important to clarify how sensitive values function and how to manage their visibility effectively. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to suppress or manage outputs related to sensitive values in configuration files.

Understanding Sensitive Values in Terraform

What are Sensitive Values?

In Terraform, sensitive values are typically variables, outputs, or attributes that contain confidential information, such as passwords, API keys, or access tokens. When these items are marked as sensitive, Terraform suppresses them in the output logs to prevent exposure during executions of commands like terraform apply or terraform plan. This built-in feature enhances security by ensuring that sensitive data is not inadvertently displayed in the console or logs.

How to Manage Sensitive Outputs

1. Marking Variables as Sensitive

When defining output variables in your Terraform configuration, you can designate them as sensitive. This attribute ensures that the values remain hidden when the configurations are applied. Here’s a simple example:

output "database_password" {
  value     = var.db_password
  sensitive = true
}

In this case, db_password is marked as sensitive, and when you run the Terraform commands, it won't be displayed in the console output.

2. Accessing Sensitive Outputs

If you need to access sensitive outputs for verification or internal use without compromising security, consider using output files or state file handling. For example, you can store sensitive data in a separate encrypted file or use tools like HashiCorp Vault for secure retrieval.

3. Suppressing Output in Commands

If you prefer not to view outputs containing sensitive values even during Terraform operations, you can control verbosity:

Using the -json flag: When executing terraform apply or terraform plan, appending -json can provide structured output without sensitive details.
```
terraform apply -json > output.json
```

This method saves the plan or apply result into a JSON file, which can be manually inspected without exposing sensitive information directly in the console.

4. Modifying Logging Behavior

If you are working with provider configurations that inherently suppress output due to sensitive values, as seen in specific configurations with cloud providers (e.g., using sensitive attributes), there may be limitations imposed by the provider itself. Unfortunately, as per community discussions and Terraform documentation, sensitive values cannot be manually overridden or displayed explicitly once marked as such. For instance:

The output for a sensitive TFE variable or any variable documented as sensitive is inherently suppressed. Changing this behavior is typically not supported and may lead to security vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

In summary, managing sensitive outputs in Terraform is crucial for maintaining security during deployments. By marking outputs as sensitive, utilizing proper logging practices, and securely accessing those values when necessary, you can suppress sensitive information effectively. Always adhere to best practices for handling sensitive data and consider additional tools, like HashiCorp Vault, for more robust data security.

For further reading and examples on this topic, you can refer to the following resources: