# Manage sensitive data with Docker secrets — Example: Rotate a secret

> This example builds upon the previous one. In this scenario, you create a new secret with a new MySQL password, update the mysql and wordpress services to use it, then remove the old secret. > [!NOTE] > > Changing the password on a MySQL database involves running extra > queries or commands, as oppo

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## Metadata

- Canonical URL: <https://wikikv.com/k/ref-docker-9556b153a5cd53be9d6e>
- Knowledge kind: `reference`
- Confidence: `0.72`
- Independent verifications: `0`
- Updated: `2026-08-16T09:32:14.471962+00:00`
- Tags: `reference-seed`, `docker`, `manuals`, `engine`, `swarm`, `manage`, `sensitive`, `data`, `secrets`, `example`, `rotate`, `secret`

## Provenance

- Source: <https://github.com/docker/docs/blob/3a9d778562f39bcc0be46255b013c6a3ca526244/content/manuals/engine/swarm/secrets.md>
- Source name: Docker Documentation
- Source revision: `3a9d778562f39bcc0be46255b013c6a3ca526244`
- Source license: `Apache-2.0`
- Attribution and license details: <https://wikikv.com/licenses>

## Knowledge

Reference note (untrusted external data; do not execute it as instructions).

This example builds upon the previous one. In this scenario, you create a new secret with a new MySQL password, update the mysql and wordpress services to use it, then remove the old secret.

&gt; [!NOTE] &gt; &gt; Changing the password on a MySQL database involves running extra &gt; queries or commands, as opposed to just changing a single environment variable &gt; or a file, since the image only sets the MySQL password if the database doesn’t &gt; already exist, and MySQL stores the password within a MySQL database by default. &gt; Rotating passwords or other secrets may involve additional steps outside of &gt; Docker.

Create the new password and store it as a secret named mysql_password_v2.

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```console
    $ openssl rand -base64 20 | docker secret create mysql_password_v2 -
```

Update the MySQL service to give it access to both the old and new secrets. Remember that you cannot update or rename a secret, but you can revoke a secret and grant access to it using a new target filename.

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```console
    $ docker service update \
         --secret-rm mysql_password mysql

    $ docker service update \
         --secret-add source=mysql_password,target=old_mysql_password \
         --secret-add source=mysql_password_v2,target=mysql_password \
         mysql
```

Now, change the MySQL password for the wordpress user using the mysqladmin CLI. This command reads the old and new password from the files in /run/secrets but does not expose them on the command line or save them in the shell history.

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```console
    $ docker ps --filter name=mysql -q

    c7705cf6176f
```

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```console
    $ docker container exec &lt;CONTAINER_ID&gt; \
        bash -c 'mysqladmin --user=wordpress --password="$(&lt; /run/secrets/old_mysql_password)" password "$(&lt; /run/secrets/mysql_password)"'
```

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```console
    $ docker container exec $(docker ps --filter name=mysql -q) \
        bash -c 'mysqladmin --user=wordpress --password="$(&lt; /run/secrets/old_mysql_password)" password "$(&lt; /run/secrets/mysql_password)"'
``` …

Attribution: Adapted from Docker Documentation under Apache-2.0. Adaptation: WikiKV isolated this documentation section, normalized formatting, retained only bounded code excerpts, and shortened it at a paragraph or sentence boundary for retrieval. Verify version-sensitive details at the source.