2015-04-14 01:13:19 +00:00
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---
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layout: "docs"
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page_title: "Dev Server Mode"
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sidebar_current: "docs-concepts-devserver"
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description: |-
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The dev server in Vault can be used for development or to experiment with Vault.
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---
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# "Dev" Server Mode
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Vault can start itself as a server in "dev" mode. This dev-mode server
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requires no further setup, and your local `vault` CLI will be authenticated
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to talk to it. This makes it easy to experiment with Vault or start a Vault
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instance for development.
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Every feature of Vault is available in "dev" mode. The "dev" flag just
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shortcircuits a lot of setup to insecure defaults.
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~> **Warning:** Never, ever, ever run a "dev" mode server in production.
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It is insecure and will lose data on every restart (since it stores data
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in-memory). It is only made for development or experimentation.
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## Properties
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The properties of the dev server:
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* **Initialized and unsealed** - The server will be automatically initialized
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and unsealed. You don't need to use `vault unseal`. It is ready for use
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immediately.
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* **In-memory storage** - All data is stored (encrypted) in-memory. Vault
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server doesn't require any file permissions.
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* **Bound to local address without TLS** - The server is listening on
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`127.0.0.1:8200` (the default server address) _without_ TLS.
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* **Automatically Authenticated** - The server stores your root access
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token so `vault` CLI access is ready to go. If you are accessing Vault
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via the API, you'll need to authenticate using the token printed out.
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* **Single unseal key** - The server is initialized with a single unseal
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2015-04-28 18:32:04 +00:00
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key. The Vault is already unsealed, but if you want to experiment with
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2015-04-14 01:13:19 +00:00
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seal/unseal, then only the single outputted key is required.
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## Use Case
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The dev server should be used for experimentation with Vault features, such
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as different authentication backends, secret backends, audit backends, etc.
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In addition to experimentation, the dev server is very easy to automate
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for development environments.
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