avoid hardcoded credentials

Never embed sensitive credentials, passwords, API keys, or other secrets directly in source code. Hardcoded credentials create security vulnerabilities by exposing sensitive data in version control systems and making it accessible to anyone with code access.

Instead, use secure alternatives:

• Environment variables for local development
• Secret management systems (GitHub Secrets, AWS Secrets Manager, etc.)
• Configuration files that are excluded from version control

Example of what to avoid:

cache_params:
  type: "redis"
  host: "redis-18438.c277.us-east-1-3.ec2.redns.redis-cloud.com"
  port: 18438
  password: "hB44ThYlB4W4m7wpCUwrSzteHqvDKnDV"  # ❌ Hardcoded password

Better approach:

cache_params:
  type: "redis"
  host: "redis-18438.c277.us-east-1-3.ec2.redns.redis-cloud.com"
  port: 18438
  password: ${REDIS_PASSWORD}  # ✅ Environment variable

This practice protects against credential leaks and ensures sensitive data remains secure across different deployment environments.