---
title: Secrets top-level elements
description: Explore all the attributes the secrets top-level element can have.
keywords: compose, compose specification, secrets, compose file reference
---

Secrets are a flavor of [Configs](08-configs.md) focusing on sensitive data, with specific constraint for this usage. 

Services can only access secrets when explicitly granted by a [`secrets`](05-services.md#secrets) attribute within the `services` top-level element.

The top-level `secrets` declaration defines or references sensitive data that is granted to the services in your Compose
application. The source of the secret is either `file` or `environment`.

- `file`: The secret is created with the contents of the file at the specified path.
- `environment`: The secret is created with the value of an environment variable.

## Example 1

`server-certificate` secret is created as `<project_name>_server-certificate` when the application is deployed,
by registering content of the `server.cert` as a platform secret.

```yml
secrets:
  server-certificate:
    file: ./server.cert
```

## Example 2 

`token` secret  is created as `<project_name>_token` when the application is deployed,
by registering the content of the `OAUTH_TOKEN` environment variable as a platform secret.

```yml
secrets:
  token:
    environment: "OAUTH_TOKEN"
```

## Additional resources

For more information, see [How to use secrets in Compose](../use-secrets.md).