--- layout: guides page_title: Static Secrets - Guides sidebar_title: Static Secrets description: |- Vault supports generating new unseal keys as well as rotating the underlying encryption keys. This guide covers rekeying and rotating Vault's encryption keys. --- # Static Secrets - Key/Value Secret Engine Vault can be used to store any secret in a secure manner. The secrets may be SSL certificates and keys for your organization's domain, credentials to connect to a corporate database server, etc. Storing such sensitive information in plaintext is not desirable. This guide demonstrates the use case of Vault as a Secret Storage. ## Reference Material - [Key/Value Secret Engine](/docs/secrets/kv/index.html) - [Key/Value Secret Engine API](/api/secret/kv/index.html) - [Client libraries](/api/libraries.html) for Vault API for commonly used languages ## Estimated Time to Complete 10 minutes ## Personas The end-to-end scenario described in this guide involves two personas: - **`devops`** with privileged permissions to write secrets - **`apps`** reads the secrets from Vault ## Challenge Consider the following situations: - Developers use a single admin account to access a third-party app (e.g. Splunk) and anyone who knows the user ID and password can log in as an admin - SSH keys to connect to remote machines are shared and stored as a plaintext - API keys to invoke external system APIs are stored as a plaintext - An app integrates with LDAP, and its configuration information is in a plaintext Organizations often seek an uniform workflow to securely store this sensitive information. ## Solution Vault as centralized secret storage to secure any sensitive information. Vault encrypts these secrets using 256-bit AES in GCM mode with a randomly generated nonce prior to writing them to its persistent storage. The storage backend never sees the unencrypted value, so gaining access to the raw storage isn't enough to access your secrets. ~> **NOTE:** This guide demonstrates secret management using [v2 of the KV secret engine](/docs/secrets/kv/kv-v2.html). ## Prerequisites To perform the tasks described in this guide, you need to have a Vault environment. Refer to the [Getting Started](/intro/getting-started/install.html) guide to install Vault. Make sure that your Vault server has been [initialized and unsealed](/intro/getting-started/deploy.html). ### Policy requirements -> **NOTE:** For the purpose of this guide, you can use **`root`** token to work with Vault. However, it is recommended that root tokens are only used for just enough initial setup or in emergencies. As a best practice, use tokens with appropriate set of policies based on your role in the organization. To perform all tasks demonstrated in this guide, your policy must include the following permissions: ```shell # Write and manage secrets in key/value secret engine path "secret/*" { capabilities = [ "create", "read", "update", "delete", "list" ] } # Create policies to permit apps to read secrets path "sys/policy/*" { capabilities = [ "create", "read", "update", "delete", "list" ] } # Create tokens for verification & test path "auth/token/create" { capabilities = [ "create", "update", "sudo" ] } ``` If you are not familiar with policies, complete the [policies](/guides/identity/policies.html) guide. ## Steps This guide demonstrates the basic steps to store secrets using Vault. The scenario here is to store the following secrets: - API key (Google API) - Root certificate of a production database (MySQL) To store your API key within the configured physical storage for Vault, use the **key/value** secret engine via **`secret/`** prefixed path. -> Key/Value secret engine passes through any operation back to the configured storage backend for Vault. For example, if your Vault server is configured with Consul as its storage backend, a "read" operation turns into a read from Consul at the same path. You will perform the following: 1. [Enable KV Secret Engine v2](#step1) 1. [Store the Google API key](#step2) 1. [Store the root certificate for MySQL](#step3) 1. [Generate a token for apps](#step4) 1. [Retrieve the secrets](#step5) ![Personas Introduction](/img/vault-static-secrets.png) Step 1 through 4 are performed by `devops` persona. Step 5 describes the commands that `apps` persona runs to read secrets from Vault. ### Step 1: Enable KV Secret Engine v2 (**Persona:** devops) Currently, when you start the Vault server in [**dev mode**](/intro/getting-started/dev-server.html#starting-the-dev-server), it automatically enables **v2** of the KV secret engine at **`secret/`**. If you start the Vault server in non-dev mode, the default is v1. If you are running the server in **dev** mode, skip to [Step 2](#step2). Otherwise, you must perform one of the following: - Option 1: Upgrade the v1 of KV secret engine to v2 - Option 2: Enable the KV secret engine v2 at a different path #### CLI command Option 1: To upgrade from **v1** to **v2**: ```plaintext $ vault kv enable-versioning secret/ ``` Option 2: To enable the KV secret engine v2 at **`secret_v2/`**: ```plaintext $ vault secrets enable -path=secret_v2/ kv-v2 ``` Or ```plaintext $ vault secrets enable -path=secret_v2/ -version=2 kv ``` #### API call using cURL Option 1: To upgrade from **v1** to **v2**: ```plaintext $ curl --header "X-Vault-Token: " \ --request POST \ --data @payload.json \ /v1/sys/mounts/secret/tune ``` Where `` is your valid token, and `` is where your vault server is running. The `payload.json` includes the version information. **Example:** ```plaintext $ cat payload.json { "options": { "version": "2" } } $ curl --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \ --request POST \ --data @payload.json \ http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/sys/mounts/secret/tune ``` Option 2: To enable the KV secret engine v2 at **`secret_v2/`**: ```plaintext $ curl --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \ --request POST \ --data '{"type":"kv-v2"}' \ https://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/sys/mounts/secret_v2 ``` ~> **NOTE:** This guide assumes that you are working with KV secret engine **v2** which is mounted at **`secret/`**. ### Step 2: Store the Google API key (**Persona:** devops) Everything after the **`secret/`** path is a key-value pair to write to the secret engine. You can specify multiple values. If the value has a space, you need to surround it with quotes. Having keys with spaces is permitted, but strongly discouraged because it can lead to unexpected client-side behavior. Let's assume that the path convention in your organization is **`secret//apikey/`** for API keys. To store the Google API key used by the engineering team, the path would be `secret/eng/apikey/Google`. If you have an API key for New Relic owned by the DevOps team, the path would look like `secret/devops/apikey/New_Relic`. #### CLI command To create key/value secrets: ```plaintext $ vault kv put secret/ =VALUE> ``` The `` can be anything you want it to be, and your organization should decide on the naming convention that makes most sense. **Example:** ```plaintext $ vault kv put secret/eng/apikey/Google key=AAaaBBccDDeeOTXzSMT1234BB_Z8JzG7JkSVxI Success! Data written to: secret/eng/apikey/Google ``` The secret key is "key" and its value is "AAaaBBccDDeeOTXzSMT1234BB_Z8JzG7JkSVxI" in this example. #### API call using cURL Use `/secret/data/` endpoint to create secrets: ```plaintext $ curl --header "X-Vault-Token: " \ --request POST \ --data @payload.json \ /v1/secret/data/ ``` Where `` is your valid token, and `secret/data/` is the path to your secrets. The [`payload.json`](/api/secret/kv/kv-v2.html#parameters-2) contains the parameters to invoke the endpoint. **Example:** ```plaintext $ tee payload.json <Step 3: Store the root certificate for MySQL (**Persona:** devops) For the purpose of this guide, generate a new self-sign certificate using [OpenSSL](https://www.openssl.org/source/). ```plaintext $ openssl req --request509 -sha256 -nodes -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout selfsigned.key -out cert.pem ``` Generated `cert.pem` file: ```plaintext -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIDSjCCAjICCQC47CQCg4u0kDANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFADBnMQswCQYDVQQGEwJV UzELMAkGA1UECAwCQ0ExFjAUBgNVBAcMDVNhbiBGcmFuY2lzY28xFDASBgNVBAMM C2V4YW1wbGUuY29tMR0wGwYJKoZIhvcNAQkBFg5tZUBleGFtcGxlLmNvbTAeFw0x ODAxMTcwMTMzNThaFw0xODAyMTYwMTMzNThaMGcxCzAJBgNVBAYTAlVTMQswCQYD VQQIDAJDQTEWMBQGA1UEBwwNU2FuIEZyYW5jaXNjbzEUMBIGA1UEAwwLZXhhbXBs ZS5jb20xHTAbBgkqhkiG9w0BCQEWDm1lQGV4YW1wbGUuY29tMIIBIjANBgkqhkiG 9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEA1cPTXpnOeUXU4tgblNLSS2rcA7eIqzc6gnMY Sh76WxOaN8VncyJw89/28QYOSYeWRn4fYywbPhHpFmrY6+1gW/8y0+Yoj7TL2Mvs 5m1ZH9eOS6kcnnX/lr+HCfJpTHokKk/Vxr0/p6agkdZq0OYMPAmiuw1M4afd5abm 8s5R99b4DgQyNvRYJp+JMddz2cM8t2AKQH4rq2NEf/GBHqHpHKmaxTyX5Rh7zg/g WJQ/DjxUVLpbRy+soiUJTZzamrO0iu9fcww+1Q4TZsMWizA4ChQFI7uegKkZ2Alv SNItsv01FQH3IB7pNWuna3IXXY789R0Qp0Ha5ScryVc9syg4cQIDAQABMA0GCSqG SIb3DQEBCwUAA4IBAQBtUcuwL0rS/uhk4v53ALF+ryRoLF93wT+O9KOvK15Pi1dX oZ9yxu5GOGi59womsrDs1vNrBuIQNVQ69dbUYu1LkhgQGDUWQb8JpCp++WHWTIeP YTJ5C/Q1B3rXeQrVWPvO0bMCig+/G5DGtzZmKWMQGHhfOvSwrkA58YAwjC+rqexl skA+hQ2JiU4bzIxvlPLBOUA/p+TgUKtdzPY3lxyDO2p7+8ZD56B0PoW87zNJYRcu VdSr7er8UkUr5nVjcw/6MJeptmx6QaiHgTUSFf2HjFfzsBa/IY1VGr/8bOII+IFN iYQTLBNG0/q/PZGeMX/RHxmCzZz/7wE0CDPMLbyf -----END CERTIFICATE----- ``` **NOTE:** If you don't have OpenSSL, simply copy the above certificate and save it as `cert.pem`. #### CLI command The command is basically the same as the Google API key example. Now, the path convention for certificates is **`secret//cert/`**. To store the root certificate for production MySQL, the path becomes `secret/prod/cert/mysql`. **Example:** ```plaintext $ vault kv put secret/prod/cert/mysql cert=@cert.pem ``` This example reads the root certificate from a PEM file from the disk, and store it under `secret/prod/cert/mysql` path. > **NOTE:** Any value begins with "@" is loaded from a file. #### API call using cURL To perform the same task using the Vault API, pass the token in the request header. **Example:** ```plaintext $ curl --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \ --request POST \ --data @cert.pem \ http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/secret/data/prod/cert/mysql ``` > **NOTE:** Any value begins with "@" is loaded from a file. ### Step 4: Generate a token for apps (**Persona:** devops) To read the secrets, `apps` persona needs "read" permit on those secret engine paths. In this scenario, the `apps` policy must include the following: **Example:** `apps-policy.hcl` ```shell # Read-only permit path "secret/data/eng/apikey/Google" { capabilities = [ "read" ] } # Read-only permit path "secret/data/prod/cert/mysql" { capabilities = [ "read" ] } ``` #### CLI command First create `apps` policy, and generate a token so that you can authenticate as an `apps` persona, and read the secrets. ```shell # Create "apps" policy $ vault policy write apps apps-policy.hcl Policy 'apps' written. # Create a new token with app policy $ vault token create -policy="apps" Key Value --- ----- token e4bdf7dc-cbbf-1bb1-c06c-6a4f9a826cf2 token_accessor 54700b7e--data828-a6c4-6141-96e71e002bd7 token_duration 768h0m0s token_renewable true token_policies [apps default] ``` Now, `apps` can use this token to read the secrets. #### API call using cURL First create an `apps` policy, and generate a token so that you can authenticate as an `app` persona. **Example:** ```shell # Payload to pass in the API call $ tee payload.json <Step 5: Retrieve the secrets (**Persona:** apps) Using the token from [Step 4](#step4), read the Google API key, and root certificate for MySQL. #### CLI command The command to read secret is: ```plaintext $ vault kv get secret/ ``` **Example:** ```shell # Authenticate with Vault using the generated token first $ vault login e4bdf7dc-cbbf-1bb1-c06c-6a4f9a826cf2 Successfully authenticated! You are now logged in. token: e4bdf7dc-cbbf-1bb1-c06c-6a4f9a826cf2 token_duration: 2764277 token_policies: [apps default] # Read the API key $ vault kv get secret/eng/apikey/Google Key Value --- ----- refresh_interval 768h0m0s key AAaaBBccDDeeOTXzSMT1234BB_Z8JzG7JkSVxI ``` To return the key value alone, pass `-field=key` as an argument. ```plaintext $ vault kv get -field=key secret/eng/apikey/Google AAaaBBccDDeeOTXzSMT1234BB_Z8JzG7JkSVxI ``` #### Root certificate example: The command is basically the same: ```plaintext $ vault kv get -field=cert secret/prod/cert/mysql -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- MIIEowIBAAKCAQEA6E2Uq0XqreZISgVMUu9pnoMsq+OoK1PI54rsA9vtDE6wiRk0GWhf5vD4DGf1 ... ``` #### API call using cURL Use `secret/` endpoint to retrieve secrets from key/value secret engine: ```plaintext $ curl --header "X-Vault-Token: " \ --request Get \ /v1/secret/data/ ``` **Example:** Read the Google API key. ```plaintext $ curl --header "X-Vault-Token: 1c97b03a-6098-31cf-9d8b-b404e52dcb4a" \ --request GET \ http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/secret/data/eng/apikey/Google | jq { "request_id": "5a2005ac-1149-2275-cab3-76cee71bf524", "lease_id": "", "renewable": false, "lease_duration": 2764800, "data": { "key": "AAaaBBccDDeeOTXzSMT1234BB_Z8JzG7JkSVxI" }, "wrap_info": null, "warnings": null, "auth": null } ``` **NOTE:** This example uses `jq` to parse the JSON output. Retrieve the key value with `jq`: ```plaintext $ curl --header "X-Vault-Token: 1c97b03a-6098-31cf-9d8b-b404e52dcb4a" \ --request GET \ http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/secret/data/eng/apikey/Google | jq ".data.key" ``` #### Root certificate example: ```plaintext $ curl --header "X-Vault-Token: 1c97b03a-6098-31cf-9d8b-b404e52dcb4a" \ --request GET \ http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/secret/data/prod/cert/mysql | jq ".data.cert" ``` ## Additional Discussion ### Q: How do I enter my secrets without appearing in history? As a precaution, you may wish to avoid passing your secret as a part of the CLI command so that the secret won't appear in the history file. Here are a few techniques you can use. #### Option 1: Use a dash "-" An easy technique is to use a dash "-" and then press Enter. This allows you to enter the secret in a new line. After entering the secret, press **`Ctrl+d`** to end the pipe and write the secret to the Vault. ```plaintext $ vault kv put secret/eng/apikey/Google key=- AAaaBBccDDeeOTXzSMT1234BB_Z8JzG7JkSVxI ``` #### Option 2: Read the secret from a file Using the Google API key example, you can create a file containing the key (apikey.txt): ```plaintext { "key": "AAaaBBccDDeeOTXzSMT1234BB_Z8JzG7JkSVxI" } ``` The CLI command would look like: ```plaintext $ vault kv put secret/eng/apikey/Google @apikey.txt ``` #### Option 3: Disable all vault command history Sometimes, you may not even want the vault command itself to appear in history at all. The Option 1 and Option 2 prevents the secret to appear in the history; however, the vault command, `vault kv put secret/eng/apikey/Google` will appear in history. In bash: ```plaintext $ export HISTIGNORE="&:vault*" ``` **NOTE:** This prevents the use of the Up arrow key for command history as well. ### Q: How do I save multiple values? The two examples introduced in this guide only had a single key-value pair. You can pass multiple values in the command. ```plaintext $ vault kv put secret/dev/config/mongodb url=foo.example.com:35533 db_name=users \ username=admin password=passw0rd ``` Or, read the secret from a file: ```plaintext $ tee mongodb.txt <