68 lines
3 KiB
Plaintext
68 lines
3 KiB
Plaintext
---
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layout: docs
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page_title: Vault Agent Auto-Auth AWS Method
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description: AWS Method for Vault Agent Auto-Auth
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---
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# Vault Agent Auto-Auth AWS Method
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The `aws` method performs authentication against the [AWS Auth
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method](/docs/auth/aws). Both `ec2` and `iam`
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authentication types are supported. If `ec2` is used, the agent will store the
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reauthentication value in memory and use it for reauthenticating, but will not
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persist it to disk.
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Due to the complexity of the Trust On First Use (TOFU) model used in the `ec2`
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method, we recommend the `iam` method when possible.
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## Credentials
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Vault will use the AWS SDK's normal credential chain behavior, which means it
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will use the first valid credentials it finds in the following order:
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1. A static credential configuration
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2. Environment variables
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3. A file containing credentials
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4. From any identity services available in its physical environment like container environment variables or role-based instance metadata
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Wherever possible, we recommend using identity services (method 4) for credentials.
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These rotate regularly and require no effort on your part to provision, making
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identity services the most secure of the four methods. If using identity services _and_ a custom
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`credential_poll_interval`, be sure the frequency is set low enough to pick up new credentials
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from the physical environment as they become available.
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To use identity services, choose the `iam` type and leave the `access_key`, `secret_key`, and `session_token`
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parameters unset in your configuration.
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## Configuration
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- `type` `(string: required)` - The type of authentication; must be `ec2` or `iam`.
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- `role` `(string: required)` - The role to authenticate against on Vault.
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- `credential_poll_interval` `(integer: optional)` - In seconds, how frequently the Vault agent should check for new credentials if using the iam type.
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- `access_key` `(string: optional)` - When using static credentials, the access key to use.
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- `secret_key` `(string: optional)` - When using static credentials, the secret key to use.
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- `region` `(string: "us-east-1")` - The region to use for signing the authentication request. The
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region Agent uses should match that corresponding to
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[`sts_endpoint`](/api-docs/auth/aws#sts_endpoint),
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if a custom endpoint has been configured on the Vault server.
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- `session_token` `(string: optional)` - The session token to use for authentication, if needed.
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- `header_value` `(string: optional)` - If configured in Vault, the value to use for
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[`iam_server_id_header_value`](/api-docs/auth/aws#iam_server_id_header_value).
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- `nonce` `(string: optional)` - If not provided, Vault will generate a new UUID every time `vault agent` runs.
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If set, make sure you understand the importance of generating a good, unique `nonce` and protecting it.
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See [Client Nonce](/docs/auth/aws#client-nonce) for more information.
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## Learn
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Refer to the [Vault Agent with
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AWS](https://learn.hashicorp.com/vault/identity-access-management/vault-agent-aws)
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guide for a step-by-step tutorial.
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