CryptEnv - Secrets Manager

Version: 1.0.0

A Visual Studio Code extension for managing CryptEnv secrets, workspaces, and environments directly from the editor. Sign in, browse workspaces, create environments, and create, edit, preview, copy, insert, and delete secrets without leaving VS Code. Connects to the hosted CryptEnv backend at https://cryptenv-backend.onrender.com/api by default; self-hosted users can point the extension to their own URL.

Features

• Authentication with email/password (JWT) or API key
• Hierarchical Secrets Explorer in the Activity Bar
  • Workspaces > Environments > Secrets
• Create, rename-style edit, and delete workspaces
• Create DEVELOPMENT, STAGING, and PRODUCTION environments
• Create, edit, preview, copy, and delete secrets
• Insert secret keys or values at the editor cursor
• API key management and regeneration from the Profile view
• Custom backend URL support for self-hosted CryptEnv installations
• Secrets and tokens stored securely in the VS Code SecretStorage

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.85.0 or later
• A CryptEnv account. Create one inside the extension, on the web at https://cryptenv-backend.onrender.com, or with the cryptenv-cli npm package
• Internet connection to reach the CryptEnv backend (or a reachable self-hosted instance)

Installation

From the Visual Studio Marketplace

1. Open the Extensions view in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X)
2. Search for CryptEnv - Secrets Manager
3. Click Install

From a local .vsix file

1. Build the VSIX package (see the "Packaging" section below)
2. In the Extensions view, click the "..." menu and choose Install from VSIX...
3. Select the generated cryptenv-1.0.0.vsix file

From source

cd cryptenv-vscode
npm install
code --install-extension cryptenv-1.0.0.vsix

Quick Start

Open the CryptEnv view by clicking the lock icon in the VS Code Activity Bar, then follow these steps.

1. Sign in or create an account

In the Secrets Explorer header, click the account icon to open the Sign in command. Or open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and run CryptEnv: Sign in.

• Email and password login stores a session JWT in VS Code SecretStorage
• Or use CryptEnv: Set API Key to authenticate with a long-lived API key (better for long-running workstations)
• If you do not have an account, run CryptEnv: Create account to register directly from VS Code

2. Create a workspace

If no workspaces appear in the explorer:

• Run CryptEnv: Create Workspace from the Command Palette
• Or click the new-folder icon in the Secrets Explorer header
• Provide a workspace name and optional description

3. Create an environment

Right-click any workspace and choose CryptEnv: Create Environment. Choose from DEVELOPMENT, STAGING, or PRODUCTION.

4. Add a secret

Right-click an environment and choose CryptEnv: Add Secret. Provide a key (e.g. DATABASE_URL), a value, and an optional description.

5. Browse and use secrets

The Secrets Explorer shows all workspaces, environments, and secrets.

• Click a secret to preview its value (with an option to copy to the clipboard)
• Click the inline eye icon to preview
• Click the inline copy icon to copy the value
• Right-click any secret to see Insert Key / Insert Value options, which paste the key or plaintext value directly into the active editor at the cursor position

Commands

All commands are available from the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) by searching for CryptEnv.

Authentication

Workspace and Environment

Secrets

The Secrets Explorer

Open the CryptEnv Activity Bar view (lock icon) to display the Secrets Explorer.

Hierarchy:

Workspace (folder icon)
  Environment (icon per type: debug = DEVELOPMENT / beaker = STAGING / versions = PRODUCTION)
    Secret (key icon, value masked by default)

Right-click any item in the tree to access context commands:

• Workspace: Delete Workspace, Create Environment
• Environment: Add Secret
• Secret: Preview, Copy, Insert Key, Insert Value, Edit, Delete

Configuration

Backend URL

The extension uses the hosted CryptEnv backend by default:

https://cryptenv-backend.onrender.com/api

To use a self-hosted CryptEnv backend, run CryptEnv: Set Backend URL and enter the base path of your API (e.g. https://cryptenv.example.com/api). The trailing slash is optional.

The URL is persisted in VS Code global state and reused across all workspaces.

Credential Storage

Authentication credentials are stored in the VS Code SecretStorage API (provided by the OS credential manager), not in plaintext on disk.

• JWT from Sign in is stored as cryptenv.jwt
• API key from Set API Key is stored as cryptenv.apiKey
• Setting one automatically clears the other

Troubleshooting

Report issues at: https://github.com/maheshshinde9100/CryptEnv/issues

Packaging

To build a .vsix file for distribution or local installation:

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
cd cryptenv-vscode
npm install
vsce package

This produces cryptenv-1.0.0.vsix in the cryptenv-vscode directory.

To install the generated package from the command line:

code --install-extension cryptenv-1.0.0.vsix

Or use Extensions > ... > Install from VSIX... inside VS Code.

Extension Icon

The extension expects a PNG icon file named icon.png in the root of the extension directory, alongside the package.json and extension.js files.

Full path:

cryptenv-vscode/icon.png

Icon requirements for publishing to the Visual Studio Marketplace:

• Format: PNG
• Size: 128 x 128 pixels (recommended; minimum 64 x 64)
• Transparent background is allowed
• Square aspect ratio (1:1)
• File name exactly icon.png, lowercase, matching the "icon": "icon.png" field in package.json

Suggested icon content: a closed padlock or a key glyph on a dark blue or teal background that matches the #0b1020 gallery banner color declared in package.json. This matches the lock placeholder used in the Activity Bar before the icon is provided.

After placing the file, it will be used for:

• The Activity Bar CryptEnv entry
• The extension card in the Extensions view
• The Visual Studio Marketplace listing

About

CryptEnv is a secret management platform that lets developer teams store environment credentials in a central, encrypted service and inject them at runtime without writing .env files to disk.

Hosted backend and dashboard: https://cryptenv-backend.onrender.com

Source repository: https://github.com/maheshshinde9100/CryptEnv/tree/main/cryptenv-vscode

Related tools:

• CryptEnv CLI (npm package cryptenv-cli)
• CryptEnv Core backend (Spring Boot)

License: MIT

Developer

Mahesh Shinde

GitHub: https://github.com/maheshshinde9100

Email: maheshshinde9100@gmail.com