diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..055049e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# Local .terraform directories
+**/.terraform/*
+
+# .tfstate files
+*.tfstate
+*.tfstate.*
+
+# Crash log files
+crash.log
+crash.*.log
+
+# Exclude all .tfvars files, which are likely to contain sensitive data, such as
+# password, private keys, and other secrets. These should not be part of version
+# control as they are data points which are potentially sensitive and subject
+# to change depending on the environment.
+*.tfvars
+*.tfvars.json
+
+# Ignore override files as they are usually used to override resources locally and so
+# are not checked in
+override.tf
+override.tf.json
+*_override.tf
+*_override.tf.json
+
+# Include override files you do wish to add to version control using negated pattern
+# !example_override.tf
+
+# Include tfplan files to ignore the plan output of command: terraform plan -out=tfplan
+# example: *tfplan*
+
+# Ignore CLI configuration files
+.terraformrc
+terraform.rc
+
+# Add vscode workspace file
+.vscode/*
+
+# Ignore test files
+**/.terraform.lock.hcl
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fb92300..c8c9a97 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ No requirements.
 | Name | Version |
 |------|---------|
 | <a name="provider_aws"></a> [aws](#provider\_aws) | n/a |
-| <a name="provider_random"></a> [random](#provider\_random) | n/a |
 
 ## Modules
 
@@ -21,14 +20,14 @@ No modules.
 | Name | Type |
 |------|------|
 | [aws_db_subnet_group.this](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/db_subnet_group) | resource |
+| [aws_iam_role.this](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/iam_role) | resource |
 | [aws_rds_cluster.this](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/rds_cluster) | resource |
 | [aws_rds_cluster_instance.this](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/rds_cluster_instance) | resource |
 | [aws_secretsmanager_secret.connection_string](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/secretsmanager_secret) | resource |
-| [aws_secretsmanager_secret.root_password](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/secretsmanager_secret) | resource |
 | [aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.connection_string](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/secretsmanager_secret_version) | resource |
-| [aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.root_password](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/secretsmanager_secret_version) | resource |
 | [aws_security_group.this](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/resources/security_group) | resource |
-| [random_password.password](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/random/latest/docs/resources/password) | resource |
+| [aws_iam_policy_document.rds_monitoring](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/data-sources/iam_policy_document) | data source |
+| [aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.root_password](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/data-sources/secretsmanager_secret_version) | data source |
 | [aws_vpc.database_vpc](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/aws/latest/docs/data-sources/vpc) | data source |
 
 ## Inputs
@@ -37,12 +36,13 @@ No modules.
 |------|-------------|------|---------|:--------:|
 | <a name="input_additional_security_groups"></a> [additional\_security\_groups](#input\_additional\_security\_groups) | Any additional security groups the cluster should be added to | `list(string)` | `[]` | no |
 | <a name="input_availability_zones"></a> [availability\_zones](#input\_availability\_zones) | Availability zones for the database | `list(string)` | n/a | yes |
-| <a name="input_database_name"></a> [database\_name](#input\_database\_name) | Name of the default database to create | `string` | n/a | yes |
+| <a name="input_database_name"></a> [database\_name](#input\_database\_name) | Name of the default database to create | `string` | `"main"` | no |
 | <a name="input_database_subnets"></a> [database\_subnets](#input\_database\_subnets) | Subnets for the database | `list(string)` | n/a | yes |
 | <a name="input_db_cluster_parameter_group_name"></a> [db\_cluster\_parameter\_group\_name](#input\_db\_cluster\_parameter\_group\_name) | parameter group | `string` | n/a | yes |
-| <a name="input_instance_class"></a> [instance\_class](#input\_instance\_class) | Instance class | `string` | n/a | yes |
+| <a name="input_deletion_protection"></a> [deletion\_protection](#input\_deletion\_protection) | Enable deletion protection. DO NOT DISABLE IN PRODUCTION, THIS IS ONLY FOR TESTING. | `bool` | `true` | no |
+| <a name="input_instance_class"></a> [instance\_class](#input\_instance\_class) | Instance class | `string` | `"db.t4g.medium"` | no |
 | <a name="input_instance_count"></a> [instance\_count](#input\_instance\_count) | How many RDS instances to create | `number` | `1` | no |
-| <a name="input_name"></a> [name](#input\_name) | Determines naming convention of assets. Generally follows DNS naming convention. | `string` | n/a | yes |
+| <a name="input_name"></a> [name](#input\_name) | Determines naming convention of assets. Generally follows DNS naming convention. Service name or abbreviation. | `string` | n/a | yes |
 | <a name="input_tags"></a> [tags](#input\_tags) | A mapping of tags to assign to the AWS resources. | `map(string)` | `{}` | no |
 | <a name="input_vpc_id"></a> [vpc\_id](#input\_vpc\_id) | The ID of the vpc the database belongs to | `string` | n/a | yes |
 
@@ -50,8 +50,9 @@ No modules.
 
 | Name | Description |
 |------|-------------|
-| <a name="output_connection_string_arn"></a> [connection\_string\_arn](#output\_connection\_string\_arn) | n/a |
-| <a name="output_db_cluster_id"></a> [db\_cluster\_id](#output\_db\_cluster\_id) | n/a |
-| <a name="output_root_password_secret_id"></a> [root\_password\_secret\_id](#output\_root\_password\_secret\_id) | n/a |
-| <a name="output_security_group_id"></a> [security\_group\_id](#output\_security\_group\_id) | n/a |
+| <a name="output_connection_string_arn"></a> [connection\_string\_arn](#output\_connection\_string\_arn) | The ARN of the secret that stores the connection string for the RDS cluster.<br>The secret stored inside is formatted as: postgresql://<username>:<password>@<endpoint>:<port>/<database> |
+| <a name="output_db_cluster_id"></a> [db\_cluster\_id](#output\_db\_cluster\_id) | The ID of the RDS cluster |
+| <a name="output_root_credentials"></a> [root\_credentials](#output\_root\_credentials) | A map containing the username and password for the root user of the RDS cluster. Caution: This output will display the password in plain text. |
+| <a name="output_root_password_id"></a> [root\_password\_id](#output\_root\_password\_id) | The ID of the secret that stores the root password for the RDS cluster |
+| <a name="output_security_group_id"></a> [security\_group\_id](#output\_security\_group\_id) | The ID of the EC2 security group that controls access to the RDS cluster |
 <!-- END_TF_DOCS -->
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/main.tf b/main.tf
index 8b508b0..584859e 100644
--- a/main.tf
+++ b/main.tf
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 resource "aws_rds_cluster" "this" {
+  # checkov:skip=CKV2_AWS_8: Using snapshots for backups
+  # checkov:skip=CKV2_AWS_27: Parameter group is passed in as a variable
+  # checkov:skip=CKV_AWS_327: We will use AWS managed keys because CMK are expensive and not necessary for our use case
+  # checkov:skip=CKV_AWS_162: IAM Authentication does not fit into our use cases
   cluster_identifier_prefix       = var.name
   engine                          = "aurora-postgresql"
   engine_version                  = "14.6"
@@ -6,7 +10,7 @@ resource "aws_rds_cluster" "this" {
   skip_final_snapshot             = false
   final_snapshot_identifier       = "${var.name}-final"
   master_username                 = "root"
-  master_password                 = aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.root_password.secret_string
+  manage_master_user_password     = true
   db_subnet_group_name            = aws_db_subnet_group.this.name
   storage_encrypted               = true
   availability_zones              = var.availability_zones
@@ -15,47 +19,64 @@ resource "aws_rds_cluster" "this" {
   vpc_security_group_ids          = concat([aws_security_group.this.id], var.additional_security_groups)
   tags                            = var.tags
   db_cluster_parameter_group_name = var.db_cluster_parameter_group_name
-  deletion_protection             = true
-}
-
-resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret" "root_password" {
-  name_prefix = "aurora-root-${var.name}"
-  description = "Root password for the ${var.name} aurora cluster database"
-  tags        = var.tags
-}
-
-resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret_version" "root_password" {
-  secret_id     = aws_secretsmanager_secret.root_password.id
-  secret_string = random_password.password.result
-}
+  deletion_protection             = var.deletion_protection
+  copy_tags_to_snapshot           = true
 
-resource "random_password" "password" {
-  length           = 32
-  special          = true
-  min_special      = 1
-  override_special = "-._~" # URL-safe characters prevent parsing errors when using this password in a connection string
+  enabled_cloudwatch_logs_exports = [
+    "postgresql",
+  ]
 }
 
 resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret" "connection_string" {
+  # checkov:skip=CKV2_AWS_57: RDS connection strings cannot be rotated
+  # checkov:skip=CKV_AWS_149: We will use AWS managed keys because CMK are expensive and not necessary for our use case
   name_prefix = "aurora-connectionstring-${var.name}"
   description = "Connection String for the ${var.name} aurora cluster database"
   tags        = var.tags
 }
 
+data "aws_secretsmanager_secret_version" "root_password" {
+  secret_id = aws_rds_cluster.this.master_user_secret[0].secret_arn
+}
+
 resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret_version" "connection_string" {
   secret_id     = aws_secretsmanager_secret.connection_string.id
-  secret_string = "postgresql://${aws_rds_cluster.this.master_username}:${aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.root_password.secret_string}@${aws_rds_cluster.this.endpoint}:${aws_rds_cluster.this.port}/${aws_rds_cluster.this.database_name}"
+  secret_string = "postgresql://${aws_rds_cluster.this.master_username}:${urlencode(jsondecode(data.aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.root_password.secret_string)["password"])}@${aws_rds_cluster.this.endpoint}:${aws_rds_cluster.this.port}/${aws_rds_cluster.this.database_name}"
+}
+
+data "aws_iam_policy_document" "rds_monitoring" {
+  statement {
+    actions = [
+      "sts:AssumeRole",
+    ]
+
+    principals {
+      type        = "Service"
+      identifiers = ["monitoring.rds.amazonaws.com"]
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+resource "aws_iam_role" "this" {
+  name                = "${var.name}-rds-monitoring-role"
+  assume_role_policy  = data.aws_iam_policy_document.rds_monitoring.json
+  managed_policy_arns = ["arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/service-role/AmazonRDSEnhancedMonitoringRole"]
 }
 
 resource "aws_rds_cluster_instance" "this" {
-  count                = var.instance_count
-  engine               = "aurora-postgresql"
-  engine_version       = "14.6"
-  identifier_prefix    = "${var.name}-${count.index + 1}"
-  cluster_identifier   = aws_rds_cluster.this.id
-  instance_class       = var.instance_class
-  db_subnet_group_name = aws_db_subnet_group.this.name
-  tags                 = var.tags
+  # checkov:skip=CKV_AWS_354: We will use AWS managed keys because CMK are expensive and not necessary for our use case
+  count                        = var.instance_count
+  engine                       = "aurora-postgresql"
+  engine_version               = "14.6"
+  identifier_prefix            = "${var.name}-${count.index + 1}"
+  cluster_identifier           = aws_rds_cluster.this.id
+  instance_class               = var.instance_class
+  db_subnet_group_name         = aws_db_subnet_group.this.name
+  tags                         = var.tags
+  auto_minor_version_upgrade   = true
+  monitoring_interval          = 5
+  monitoring_role_arn          = aws_iam_role.this.arn
+  performance_insights_enabled = true
 }
 
 resource "aws_db_subnet_group" "this" {
@@ -78,29 +99,17 @@ resource "aws_security_group" "this" {
     to_port     = 5432
     protocol    = "tcp"
     cidr_blocks = [data.aws_vpc.database_vpc.cidr_block]
+    description = "PostgreSQL traffic in"
   }
   egress {
     from_port   = 5432
     to_port     = 5432
     protocol    = "tcp"
     cidr_blocks = [data.aws_vpc.database_vpc.cidr_block]
+    description = "PostgreSQL traffic out"
   }
 }
 
 data "aws_vpc" "database_vpc" {
   id = var.vpc_id
 }
-
-output "db_cluster_id" {
-  value = aws_rds_cluster.this.cluster_identifier
-}
-
-output "security_group_id" {
-  value = aws_security_group.this.id
-}
-output "root_password_secret_id" {
-  value = aws_secretsmanager_secret.root_password.id
-}
-output "connection_string_arn" {
-  value = aws_secretsmanager_secret.connection_string.arn
-}
diff --git a/outputs.tf b/outputs.tf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d3301d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/outputs.tf
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+output "db_cluster_id" {
+  description = "The ID of the RDS cluster"
+  value       = aws_rds_cluster.this.cluster_identifier
+}
+
+output "security_group_id" {
+  description = "The ID of the EC2 security group that controls access to the RDS cluster"
+  value       = aws_security_group.this.id
+}
+
+output "root_password_id" {
+  description = "The ID of the secret that stores the root password for the RDS cluster"
+  value       = data.aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.root_password.id
+}
+
+output "connection_string_arn" {
+  description = <<EOT
+The ARN of the secret that stores the connection string for the RDS cluster.
+The secret stored inside is formatted as: postgresql://<username>:<password>@<endpoint>:<port>/<database>
+EOT
+  value       = aws_secretsmanager_secret.connection_string.arn
+}
+
+output "root_credentials" {
+  description = "A map containing the username and password for the root user of the RDS cluster. Caution: This output will display the password in plain text."
+  value = {
+    username = aws_rds_cluster.this.master_username
+    password = data.aws_secretsmanager_secret_version.root_password.secret_string
+  }
+
+  sensitive = true
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/variables.tf b/variables.tf
index c31c86e..98524a1 100644
--- a/variables.tf
+++ b/variables.tf
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 variable "name" {
   type        = string
-  description = "Determines naming convention of assets. Generally follows DNS naming convention."
+  description = "Determines naming convention of assets. Generally follows DNS naming convention. Service name or abbreviation."
 }
 
 variable "database_name" {
   type        = string
   description = "Name of the default database to create"
+  default     = "main"
 }
 
 variable "vpc_id" {
@@ -49,4 +50,11 @@ variable "db_cluster_parameter_group_name" {
 variable "instance_class" {
   type        = string
   description = "Instance class"
+  default     = "db.t4g.medium"
 }
+
+variable "deletion_protection" {
+  type        = bool
+  description = "Enable deletion protection. DO NOT DISABLE IN PRODUCTION, THIS IS ONLY FOR TESTING."
+  default     = true
+}
\ No newline at end of file