---
id: cerberus-python-client
version: "2.5.4"
license: Apache License, v2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# cerberus-python-client — A python client for interacting with Cerberus

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 827.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Cerberus Python Client is a library for communicating with Cerberus, Nike's secrets management platform. It provides read-only access to secrets stored in Cerberus safe deposit boxes, supporting multiple authentication schemes including AWS IAM roles (for local, EC2, ECS, and Lambda environments), user credentials, and assumed roles via boto3 sessions. The client also supports file operations (upload, download, list, delete) and management functions like viewing roles and categories.

The library depends on boto3 for AWS credential handling and requests for HTTPS communication. The project is archived and has not been maintained since 2023-03-27, meaning it may not be compatible with recent versions of its dependencies or Python itself.

Use it for:

- Retrieve database credentials and API keys from Cerberus for use in AWS Lambda, EC2, or ECS applications
- Access application secrets in a centralized vault during local development or CI/CD pipelines using IAM role authentication
- Download and upload configuration files and certificates to Cerberus safe deposit boxes
- List available secret versions and retrieve historical versions for auditing or rollback purposes
- Manage role-based access control by querying available roles and categories in Cerberus

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

A Python client library for reading and writing secrets to Cerberus, Nike's secrets management service, with support for AWS IAM and user authentication over HTTPS.

No, unless you are already deeply committed to Cerberus infrastructure. The project is archived and abandoned (last commit 2023-03-27), creating significant risk of incompatibility with modern Python and dependency versions. No known security vulnerabilities exist, but lack of maintenance means future vulnerabilities may go unpatched. Install only if Cerberus is your organization's active secrets platform.

## Install

pip install cerberus-python-client
uv add cerberus-python-client
poetry add cerberus-python-client

## Installing cerberus-python-client

Before you install: Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (boto3 and requests). However, the project is archived and abandoned, with no commits since 2023-03-27. Use only if already committed to Cerberus infrastructure.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License, v2.0 (permissive), which allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. No licensing barriers to adoption.

Quickstart:

pip install cerberus-python-client

from cerberus.client import CerberusClient

client = CerberusClient('https://my.cerberus.url')
secret = client.get_secrets_data('app/path/to/secret')

Requires a running Cerberus server instance and appropriate AWS IAM credentials or username/password for authentication.

Verify before relying:

- Current compatibility with modern Python versions and boto3/requests releases given abandonment status
- Whether the Cerberus service itself is still actively maintained by Nike or has been deprecated
- Support status for write operations mentioned as 'not yet implemented' in the description

## Package facts

- License: Apache License, v2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 827.0K/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

secrets management client, cerberus python client, aws iam secrets, secret vault access, nike cerberus integration, credential retrieval python, safe deposit box client, secrets-management, aws-integration, archived

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