Template representation of security resources

A computing device, comprising:

• a storage memory storing a set of instructions;
• and
• one or more hardware processors that execute the set of instructions to perform:
• receiving a template that defines a stack of resources and specifies a set of dependencies between the resources, the stack of resources providing at least one network-accessible service, the template including at least one security resource, the security resource including at least one of:
• customer identities, groups or policies;
• creating the stack of resources based at least in part on the template, the creating further including at least:
• causing a customer identity to be created based at least in part on the template and associating the customer identity with the stack of resources;
• defining an access key for the customer identity and securely storing the access key on one or more computer systems, the access key stored separately from the template;
• detecting, in the template, a parameter that references the access key that is stored separately from the template without specifying the access key as a string in the template;
• determining at least one resource which is instructed in the template to receive the access key;
• receiving a request for the access key from the at least one resource;
• and
• securely providing the access key to the at least one resource based at least in part on said determining the at least one resource which is instructed in the template to receive the access key, the access key being referenced by the parameter in the template without specifying the access key as a string in the template.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

• receiving a template that defines a stack of resources and specifies a set of dependencies between the resources, the stack of resources providing at least one network-accessible service, the template including at least one security resource, the security resource including at least one of:
• customer identities, groups or policies;
• creating the stack of resources based at least in part on the template, the creating further including at least:
• causing a customer identity to be created based at least in part on the template and associating the customer identity with the stack of resources;
• defining an access key for the customer identity and securely storing the access key on one or more computer systems, the access key stored separately from the template;
• detecting, in the template, a parameter that references the access key that is stored separately from the template without specifying the access key as a string in the template;
• determining at least one resource which is instructed in the template to receive the access key;
• receiving a request for the access key from the at least one resource;
• and
• securely providing the access key to the at least one resource based at least in part on said determining the at least one resource which is instructed in the template to receive the access key, the access key being referenced by the parameter in the template without specifying the access key as a string in the template.