The best way to provision the authentication credentials to the script is to use an environment variable that stores the password. This way, the password is not exposed in plain text in the script, and it can be changed or updated without modifying the script. An environment variable is a dynamic value that can be accessed by processes or programs in the operating system. By using the syntax password=$env_password, the script can assign the value of the environment variable named env_password to the password variable. This is more secure and flexible than using a curl command, a file, or a hard-coded password in the script. References:
[CompTIA Cloud+ CV0-003 Certification Study Guide], Chapter 8, Objective 8.1: Given a scenario, implement cloud automation and orchestration.