**Automating Certificate Renewal in IBM Cloud Code Engine**

In this article, we will delve into the integration of IBM Cloud Code Engine, IBM Cloud Event Notifications, and IBM Cloud Secrets Manager to create a robust automated certificate renewal process for applications in your Code Engine project. We will walk you through the process with a simple app using IBM Cloud Code Engine to update your secrets in a Code Engine Project. While it is not necessary to have prior knowledge of these services, a basic understanding will be helpful. The entire code for this process is available on GitHub.

**Summary**
We will cover the integration of IBM Cloud Code Engine, IBM Cloud Event Notifications, and IBM Cloud Secrets Manager to automate the certificate renewal process in IBM Cloud Code Engine. This will allow for the seamless renewal of certificates for applications in the Code Engine project. The integration involves the utilization of existing services and developing a straightforward app using IBM Cloud Code Engine.

### IBM Cloud Code Engine
IBM Cloud Code Engine is a fully managed, serverless platform designed to run containerized workloads and various applications such as web apps, microservices, event-driven functions, and batch jobs.

### IBM Cloud Event Notifications
IBM Cloud Event Notifications is a routing service that provides critical event notifications from various IBM Cloud services to communication channels.

### IBM Cloud Secrets Manager
IBM Cloud Secrets Manager is a service that allows for the creation, leasing, and centralized management of secrets used in IBM Cloud services or custom-built applications.

**Delving Deeper: Understanding the Process**
When executing the run script, it creates instances of Event Notifications and Secrets Manager in your IBM Cloud Account. It involves creating custom certificates, populating a secret in the Secret Manager, creating necessary components in the Event Notification Instance, building a Code Engine application, creating a Code Engine secret, and rotating the secret in the Secrets Manager with a new certificate.

**FAQ**

**Q: What is IBM Cloud Code Engine?**
A: IBM Cloud Code Engine is a fully managed, serverless platform designed to run containerized workloads and various applications such as web apps, microservices, event-driven functions, and batch jobs.

**Q: What is IBM Cloud Event Notifications?**
A: IBM Cloud Event Notifications is a routing service that provides critical event notifications from various IBM Cloud services to communication channels.

**Q: What is IBM Cloud Secrets Manager?**
A: IBM Cloud Secrets Manager is a service that allows for the creation, leasing, and centralized management of secrets used in IBM Cloud services or custom-built applications.

**Q: How does the automation process work?**
A: The process involves integrating IBM Cloud Code Engine, IBM Cloud Event Notifications, and IBM Cloud Secrets Manager to automate the certificate renewal process for applications in the Code Engine project. It utilizes Event Notifications to send notifications to the app whenever the secrets are rotated in the Secrets Manager, triggering the app to update the secrets in the Code Engine project.

**Q: Is there a response timeout for Event Notifications?**
A: Yes, there is a response timeout of 60 seconds for Event Notifications when invoking the application via a POST request. This should be considered when executing longer workloads.

**Q: What if I have certificates from third-party vendors?**
A: There is documentation available on how to connect third-party certificate authorities to Secrets Manager.

This automated process eliminates the need for manual intervention in updating secrets and helps prevent disruptions in applications due to expired certificates. For those using certificates from third-party vendors, the article also provides guidance on connecting third-party certificate authorities to Secrets Manager.