AWS SDK for Java 2.x - AWS KMS (Key Management Service)

Overview

Provides AWS KMS patterns using AWS SDK for Java 2.x. Covers key management, encryption/decryption, envelope encryption, digital signatures, and Spring Boot integration.

Instructions

1. Set Up IAM Permissions - Grant kms:* actions with least privilege
2. Create KMS Client - Instantiate KmsClient with region and credentials
3. Create Keys - Use createKey() → Verify key state is ENABLED before proceeding
4. Set Key Policies - Define key usage permissions → Test access before production
5. Encrypt Data - Use encrypt() for data <4KB; Verify ciphertext is not empty
6. Envelope Encryption - For larger data, use generateDataKey() → Verify data key generation succeeded
7. Digital Signatures - Create signing keys → Verify signatureValid=true after sign/verify
8. Key Rotation - Enable auto-rotation → Confirm rotation schedule is active

When to Use

• Creating/managing symmetric encryption keys for data protection
• Implementing envelope encryption for large data
• Generating data keys for local encryption with KMS-managed keys
• Setting up digital signatures with asymmetric keys
• Integrating encryption into Spring Boot applications

Dependencies

Maven

<dependency>
    <groupId>software.amazon.awssdk</groupId>
    <artifactId>kms</artifactId>
</dependency>

Gradle

implementation 'software.amazon.awssdk:kms:2.x.x'

Client Setup

Basic Synchronous Client

import software.amazon.awssdk.regions.Region;
import software.amazon.awssdk.services.kms.KmsClient;

KmsClient kmsClient = KmsClient.builder()
    .region(Region.US_EAST_1)
    .build();

Basic Asynchronous Client

import software.amazon.awssdk.services.kms.KmsAsyncClient;

KmsAsyncClient kmsAsyncClient = KmsAsyncClient.builder()
    .region(Region.US_EAST_1)
    .build();

Advanced Client Configuration

KmsClient kmsClient = KmsClient.builder()
    .region(Region.of(System.getenv("AWS_REGION")))
    .credentialsProvider(DefaultCredentialsProvider.create())
    .overrideConfiguration(c -> c.retryPolicy(RetryPolicy.builder()
        .numRetries(3)
        .build()))
    .build();

Basic Key Management

Create Encryption Key

public String createEncryptionKey(KmsClient kmsClient, String description) {
    CreateKeyRequest request = CreateKeyRequest.builder()
        .description(description)
        .keyUsage(KeyUsageType.ENCRYPT_DECRYPT)
        .build();

    CreateKeyResponse response = kmsClient.createKey(request);
    return response.keyMetadata().keyId();
}

Describe Key

public KeyMetadata getKeyMetadata(KmsClient kmsClient, String keyId) {
    DescribeKeyRequest request = DescribeKeyRequest.builder()
        .keyId(keyId)
        .build();

    return kmsClient.describeKey(request).keyMetadata();
}

Enable/Disable Key

public void toggleKeyState(KmsClient kmsClient, String keyId, boolean enable) {
    if (enable) {
        kmsClient.enableKey(EnableKeyRequest.builder().keyId(keyId).build());
    } else {
        kmsClient.disableKey(DisableKeyRequest.builder().keyId(keyId).build());
    }
}

Basic Encryption and Decryption

Encrypt Data

public String encryptData(KmsClient kmsClient, String keyId, String plaintext) {
    SdkBytes plaintextBytes = SdkBytes.fromString(plaintext, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);

    EncryptRequest request = EncryptRequest.builder()
        .keyId(keyId)
        .plaintext(plaintextBytes)
        .build();

    EncryptResponse response = kmsClient.encrypt(request);
    return Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(
        response.ciphertextBlob().asByteArray());
}

Decrypt Data

public String decryptData(KmsClient kmsClient, String ciphertextBase64) {
    byte[] ciphertext = Base64.getDecoder().decode(ciphertextBase64);
    SdkBytes ciphertextBytes = SdkBytes.fromByteArray(ciphertext);

    DecryptRequest request = DecryptRequest.builder()
        .ciphertextBlob(ciphertextBytes)
        .build();

    DecryptResponse response = kmsClient.decrypt(request);
    return response.plaintext().asString(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
}

Envelope Encryption Pattern

Generate and Use Data Key