A practical guide to Google Cloud's Parameter Manager

Google Cloud's Parameter Manager allows developers to securely manage application configurations, like API keys, centrally. Hardcoding configurations poses security risks, making Parameter Manager a crucial tool for robust development. It supports various data formats, including JSON and YAML, with format validation. The service integrates with Secret Manager to protect sensitive data separately. A practical example demonstrates setting up a weather application, focusing on storing and retrieving a weather API key from Secret Manager. The process involves creating a Parameter, defining its versions, and then referencing the API key within the parameter's configuration using the secret's identifier. IAM permissions are then configured to allow Parameter Manager access to the secret. A sample React frontend and Node.js backend are also provided, showing how to interact with the configured parameter and retrieve weather data. The frontend displays the weather based on the entered city, while the backend retrieves data from the OpenWeatherMap API, utilizing the API key stored in secret manager. The application demonstrates how to dynamically configure the weather application, including changing Celcius to Fahrenheit and managing default location and API keys. The final step involves deploying the backend to Cloud Run.