The blog post explores the use of the Secrets Store CSI Driver in Kubernetes for managing secrets securely without storing them as native Kubernetes secrets. It highlights the limitations of using the External Secrets Operator, which still involves creating Kubernetes secrets, and introduces the Secrets Store CSI Driver as a solution for mounting secrets directly into pods from external secret stores. The post explains the architecture and deployment process of the CSI Driver using Pulumi, emphasizing its benefits in managing secret lifecycles outside of Kubernetes while maintaining a native experience. It also compares the External Secrets Operator and the Secrets Store CSI Driver, noting their primary use cases, integration capabilities, mechanisms for secret delivery, and security considerations. The CSI Driver is recommended for scenarios requiring direct access to secrets without intermediate storage in Kubernetes secrets, while the External Secrets Operator is suited for accessing secrets as Kubernetes native secrets.