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* conversion stage 1 * correct image paths * add sidebar title to frontmatter * docs/concepts and docs/internals * configuration docs and multi-level nav corrections * commands docs, index file corrections, small item nav correction * secrets converted * auth * add enterprise and agent docs * add extra dividers * secret section, wip * correct sidebar nav title in front matter for apu section, start working on api items * auth and backend, a couple directory structure fixes * remove old docs * intro side nav converted * reset sidebar styles, add hashi-global-styles * basic styling for nav sidebar * folder collapse functionality * patch up border length on last list item * wip restructure for content component * taking middleman hacking to the extreme, but its working * small css fix * add new mega nav * fix a small mistake from the rebase * fix a content resolution issue with middleman * title a couple missing docs pages * update deps, remove temporary markup * community page * footer to layout, community page css adjustments * wip downloads page * deps updated, downloads page ready * fix community page * homepage progress * add components, adjust spacing * docs and api landing pages * a bunch of fixes, add docs and api landing pages * update deps, add deploy scripts * add readme note * update deploy command * overview page, index title * Update doc fields Note this still requires the link fields to be populated -- this is solely related to copy on the description fields * Update api_basic_categories.yml Updated API category descriptions. Like the document descriptions you'll still need to update the link headers to the proper target pages. * Add bottom hero, adjust CSS, responsive friendly * Add mega nav title * homepage adjustments, asset boosts * small fixes * docs page styling fixes * meganav title * some category link corrections * Update API categories page updated to reflect the second level headings for api categories * Update docs_detailed_categories.yml Updated to represent the existing docs structure * Update docs_detailed_categories.yml * docs page data fix, extra operator page remove * api data fix * fix makefile * update deps, add product subnav to docs and api landing pages * Rearrange non-hands-on guides to _docs_ Since there is no place for these on learn.hashicorp, we'll put them under _docs_. * WIP Redirects for guides to docs * content and component updates * font weight hotfix, redirects * fix guides and intro sidenavs * fix some redirects * small style tweaks * Redirects to learn and internally to docs * Remove redirect to `/vault` * Remove `.html` from destination on redirects * fix incorrect index redirect * final touchups * address feedback from michell for makefile and product downloads
76 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
76 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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layout: "docs"
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page_title: "Introduction"
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sidebar_title: "What is Vault?"
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sidebar_current: "what"
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description: |-
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Welcome to the intro guide to Vault! This guide is the best place to start with Vault. We cover what Vault is, what problems it can solve, how it compares to existing software, and contains a quick start for using Vault.
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---
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# Introduction to Vault
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Welcome to the introduction guide to HashiCorp Vault! This guide is the best
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place to get started with Vault. This guide covers what Vault is, what problems
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it can solve, how it compares to existing software, and contains a quick start
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for using Vault.
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If you are already familiar with the basics of Vault, the
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[documentation](/docs/index.html) provides a better reference guide for all
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available features as well as internals.
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## What is Vault?
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Vault is a tool for securely accessing _secrets_. A secret is anything that you
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want to tightly control access to, such as API keys, passwords, or certificates.
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Vault provides a unified interface to any secret, while providing tight access
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control and recording a detailed audit log.
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A modern system requires access to a multitude of secrets: database credentials,
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API keys for external services, credentials for service-oriented architecture
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communication, etc. Understanding who is accessing what secrets is already very
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difficult and platform-specific. Adding on key rolling, secure storage, and
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detailed audit logs is almost impossible without a custom solution. This is
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where Vault steps in.
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Examples work best to showcase Vault. Please see the
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[use cases](/intro/use-cases.html).
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The key features of Vault are:
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* **Secure Secret Storage**: Arbitrary key/value secrets can be stored
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in Vault. Vault encrypts these secrets prior to writing them to persistent
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storage, so gaining access to the raw storage isn't enough to access
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your secrets. Vault can write to disk, [Consul](https://www.consul.io),
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and more.
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* **Dynamic Secrets**: Vault can generate secrets on-demand for some
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systems, such as AWS or SQL databases. For example, when an application
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needs to access an S3 bucket, it asks Vault for credentials, and Vault
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will generate an AWS keypair with valid permissions on demand. After
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creating these dynamic secrets, Vault will also automatically revoke them
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after the lease is up.
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* **Data Encryption**: Vault can encrypt and decrypt data without storing
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it. This allows security teams to define encryption parameters and
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developers to store encrypted data in a location such as SQL without
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having to design their own encryption methods.
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* **Leasing and Renewal**: All secrets in Vault have a _lease_ associated
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with them. At the end of the lease, Vault will automatically revoke that
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secret. Clients are able to renew leases via built-in renew APIs.
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* **Revocation**: Vault has built-in support for secret revocation. Vault
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can revoke not only single secrets, but a tree of secrets, for example
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all secrets read by a specific user, or all secrets of a particular type.
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Revocation assists in key rolling as well as locking down systems in the
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case of an intrusion.
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## Next Steps
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See the page on [Vault use cases](/intro/use-cases.html) to see the
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multiple ways Vault can be used. Then see
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[how Vault compares to other software](/intro/vs/index.html)
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to see how it fits into your existing infrastructure. Finally, continue onwards with
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the [getting started guide](/intro/getting-started/install.html) to use
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Vault to read, write, and create real secrets and see how it works in practice.
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