What is vault?
Vault is a tool that safely stores and manages secret information-like passwords, API keys, and certificates-so that only the right people or applications can access them.
Let's break it down
- Tool: a piece of software you can install and run.
- Safely stores: keeps data in a locked, encrypted place so nobody can read it without permission.
- Secret information: any data you don’t want the public to see, such as passwords, tokens, or encryption keys.
- Only the right people or applications can access them: Vault checks who is asking for a secret and only gives it out if they are allowed.
Why does it matter?
Because losing or exposing secrets can lead to data breaches, financial loss, and damaged reputation. Vault helps keep those secrets hidden and controlled, reducing security risks.
Where is it used?
- Cloud-native applications that need to fetch database passwords at runtime.
- DevOps pipelines that require temporary API tokens for automated deployments.
- Enterprises that store encryption keys for encrypting files or disks.
- Microservice architectures where each service needs its own set of credentials.
Good things about it
- Strong encryption and access control keep secrets highly secure.
- Centralized management makes it easy to rotate, revoke, or audit secrets.
- Supports dynamic secrets that are generated on-demand and expire automatically.
- Works with many platforms (AWS, Kubernetes, Azure, etc.) through built-in integrations.
- Provides audit logs for tracking who accessed which secret and when.
Not-so-good things
- Adds extra complexity to the infrastructure; you need to set up and maintain the Vault server.
- Learning curve can be steep for teams new to secret management concepts.
- If the Vault service itself goes down or is misconfigured, applications may lose access to critical credentials.
- Requires careful planning for high availability and disaster recovery, which can increase cost.