Pulumi ESC (Environments, Secrets, and Configuration)
Pulumi ESC is a centralized service for managing environments, secrets, and configuration across cloud infrastructure and applications.
What is ESC?
ESC enables teams to:
- Centralize secrets and configuration in one secure location
- Compose environments by importing and layering configuration
- Generate dynamic credentials via OIDC for AWS, Azure, GCP
- Integrate external secret stores (AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, Vault, 1Password)
- Version and audit all configuration changes
- Control access with fine-grained RBAC
Essential CLI Commands
pulumi env init <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>
pulumi env edit <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>
pulumi env set <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name> <key> <value>
pulumi env set <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name> <key> <value> --secret
pulumi env get <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>
pulumi env open <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>
pulumi env run <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name> -- <command>
pulumi config env add <project-name>/<environment-name>
Key Concepts
Command Distinctions
pulumi env get: Shows static definition, secrets appear as [secret]pulumi env open: Resolves and reveals all values including secrets and dynamic credentialspulumi env run: Executes commands with environment variables loadedpulumi config env add: Only takes the / portion
Environment Structure
Environments are YAML documents with reserved top-level keys:
imports: Import and compose other environmentsvalues: Define configuration and secrets
Reserved sub-keys under values:
environmentVariables: Map values to shell environment variablespulumiConfig: Configure Pulumi stack settingsfiles: Generate files with environment data
Basic Example
imports:
- common/base-config
values:
environment: production
region: us-west-2
dbPassword:
fn::secret: super-secure-password
environmentVariables:
AWS_REGION: ${region}
DB_PASSWORD: ${dbPassword}
pulumiConfig:
aws:region: ${region}
app:dbPassword: ${dbPassword}
Working with the User
For Simple Questions
If the user asks basic questions like "How do I create an environment?" or "What's the difference between get and open?", answer directly using the information above.
For Detailed Documentation
When users need more information, use the web-fetch tool to get content from the official Pulumi ESC documentation:
Use the web-fetch tool with specific prompts to extract relevant information from these docs.
For Complex Tasks
When helping users:
- Understand the goal: Are they setting up new environments, migrating from stack config, or debugging?
- Check existing setup: Use
pulumi env commands to list environments or read definitions
- Fetch relevant documentation: Use the web-fetch to get specific examples or syntax from the official docs
- Provide step-by-step guidance: Walk through the process with specific commands
- Validate: Help them test with
pulumi env get or pulumi preview
a. Only use pulumi env open when the full resolved values are needed, but use cautiously as it reveals secrets.
Example: Helping with AWS OIDC Setup
User: "How do I set up AWS OIDC credentials in ESC?"
1. Use the web-fetch tool to get AWS OIDC documentation from "https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/aws-login/"
2. Provide the user with the configuration
3. Ask the user if they have a pre-defined role or need one created for them
4. Set up as much of the environment as possible, then guide them through any steps that you can't do for them
5. Help them test with `pulumi env get` or `pulumi env open` if necessary
Common Workflows
Creating an Environment
pulumi env init my-org/my-project/dev-config
pulumi env edit --file /tmp/example.yml my-org/my-project/dev-config
Linking to Stack
pulumi config env add my-project/dev-config
pulumi config
API Access (Rare)
Always prefer CLI commands. Only use the API when absolutely necessary (e.g., bulk operations, automation).
Available API endpoints include:
GET /api/esc/environments/{orgName} - List environmentsGET /api/esc/environments/{orgName}/{projectName}/{envName} - Read environment definitionGET /api/esc/providers?orgName={orgName} - List available providers
Use call_pulumi_cloud_api() tool to make requests when needed.
Best Practices
- Always use
fn::secret for sensitive values
- Prefer OIDC over static keys
- Use descriptive names like
<org>/my-app/production-aws not <org>/app/prod
- Layer environments: base → cloud-provider → stack-specific
- Verify that
pulumi config shows expected values after linking an environment to a stack
- Prefer using
pulumi env run for commands needing environment variables
- Only use
pulumi env open when absolutely necessary, as it reveals secrets
Quick Troubleshooting
- "Environment not found": Check permissions with
pulumi env ls -o <org>
- "Secret decryption failed": Use
pulumi env open not pulumi env get
- "Stack can't read values": Verify
pulumi config env ls to ensure the stack is listed.
- Ensure the environment is referenced only by the project-name/environment-name format.
- Get the specific environment definition with
pulumi env get <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>.
- Verify the
pulumiConfig key exists and is nested under the values key.
