If you’re looking for a secure and simple way to manage your secrets and sensitive information, Vault might be just what you need. Vault is an open-source tool that allows you to securely store and access secrets, such as passwords, API keys, and certificates, in a centralized location. In this blog, we’ll explain how to use Vault in simple terms.
First, let’s talk about the basic concepts of Vault. At its core, Vault is a server that manages secrets. Secrets are anything that you want to keep secure and access in a controlled way. Vault organizes secrets into logical groups called “secret engines.” A secret engine is a service that can generate or store secrets, such as a database, a key-value store, or a cloud provider.
Now that we have an understanding of the basic concepts, let’s walk through the steps of using Vault:
Step 1: Install and Configure Vault To get started with Vault, you’ll need to install it on a server or a local machine. You can download the latest version of Vault from the official website. Once you’ve installed Vault, you’ll need to configure it. The configuration file tells Vault where to store its data and how to authenticate users. You can configure Vault using a configuration file or environment variables.
Step 2: Create a Secret Engine The next step is to create a secret engine. You can create a secret engine using the Vault CLI or the API. For example, if you want to create a secret engine for storing PostgreSQL credentials, you can use the following command:
$ vault secrets enable database
This command enables the database secret engine.
Step 3: Store Secrets Once you’ve created a secret engine, you can start storing secrets. To store a secret, you’ll need to use the Vault CLI or API. For example, to store a username and password for PostgreSQL, you can use the following command:
$ vault write database/creds/my-role
This command creates a new credential for the my-role role in the database secret engine.
Step 4: Retrieve Secrets To retrieve a secret, you’ll need to authenticate with Vault using a valid token or another authentication method. Once you’re authenticated, you can use the Vault CLI or API to retrieve secrets. For example, to retrieve a PostgreSQL username and password, you can use the following command:
$ vault read database/creds/my-role
This command returns the credentials for the my-role role in the database secret engine.
Step 5: Revoke Secrets When you’re done with a secret, it’s important to revoke it to prevent unauthorized access. To revoke a secret, you can use the Vault CLI or API. For example, to revoke a PostgreSQL credential, you can use the following command:
$ vault lease revoke database/creds/my-role/XXXXXXXX
This command revokes the credential with the given lease ID.
In conclusion, Vault is a powerful tool for securely managing secrets. By following these simple steps, you can use Vault to store, retrieve, and revoke secrets in a secure and controlled way. Remember to always follow security best practices and to keep your Vault configuration and authentication methods secure.