HashiCorp Vault Secret Engine and Secret Engine path - Part 4 | HashiCorp Vault tutorial series

Summary

The video script discusses the HashiCorp Vault's secret engine, emphasizing its seamless integration with major cloud service providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. It outlines basic commands for managing secret engines, including listing, enabling, and disabling them. The script also highlights the ability to store various credentials within the Vault, and provides a step-by-step guide on how to enable and disable the AWS secret engine path. The key takeaway is the flexibility and security offered by the Vault in managing and storing credentials for different cloud services.

Takeaways

• 🔐 The HashiCorp Vault secret engine facilitates integration with various cloud service providers like AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and Azure.
• 🛠️ Custom credentials can be stored within the Vault using the secret engine, enhancing security and organization.
• 📋 To list all available secret engines on a Vault server, the 'Vault secrets list' command is used.
• 💡 Enabling a secret engine for a specific cloud service is done with the 'Vault secrets enable' command followed by the service's path and engine name.
• 🔄 Verification of enabled secret engines can be done by rerunning the 'Vault secrets list' command to check for updates.
• 🚫 Disabling a secret engine is achieved with the 'Vault secrets disable' command, specifying the path of the engine to be disabled.
• 🔍 The output of the 'Vault secrets list' command reflects the current status of all secret engines, including any changes made.
• 🌐 The secret engine acts as an additional plugin with the Vault, allowing for the storage of different types of credentials for various cloud services.
• 🔑 The script provides a practical guide on managing secret engines, including creating custom paths and handling credentials for different cloud platforms.
• 📈 The session also hints at future discussions on dynamic secrets, suggesting the generation of secrets based on IAM rules and policies for enhanced security practices.

Q & A

What is the primary function of the secret engine in HashiCorp Vault?

The primary function of the secret engine in HashiCorp Vault is to act as an additional plugin that allows for the storage and management of different types of credentials for various cloud service providers and other integrated systems.

How does the secret engine integrate with cloud service providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure?

The secret engine integrates with cloud service providers by providing specific plugins or paths for each provider, enabling users to store and manage credentials specific to those services within the Vault environment.

Can you store custom credentials in HashiCorp Vault?

Yes, you can store custom credentials in HashiCorp Vault by creating your own custom secret engine paths outside of the default integrations with major cloud providers.

What is the default secret engine path provided by HashiCorp Vault upon installation?

Upon installation, HashiCorp Vault provides default secret engine paths such as the 'identity' and 'secrets' engines, which are ready to use for basic credential storage and management.

How do you list all the available secret engine paths in your HashiCorp Vault server?

To list all the available secret engine paths, you can use the command 'Vault secrets list' in your terminal which will display all the currently enabled secret engine paths.

What command is used to enable a specific secret engine path like AWS in HashiCorp Vault?

The command to enable a specific secret engine path such as AWS is 'Vault secrets enable AWS' where 'AWS' is the path for the secret engine you wish to enable.

How can you verify if a secret engine path has been successfully enabled?

After running the 'Vault secrets enable' command, you can verify the successful enabling of a secret engine path by rerunning the 'Vault secrets list' command and checking for the newly enabled path in the list.

What is the command to disable a secret engine path in HashiCorp Vault?

To disable a secret engine path, you can use the command 'Vault secrets disable' followed by the name or path of the secret engine you wish to disable, for example, 'Vault secrets disable AWS'.

How can you confirm the successful disabling of a secret engine path?

After running the 'Vault secrets disable' command, you can confirm the successful disabling by checking the updated list of secret engine paths with 'Vault secrets list', where the disabled path should no longer appear.

What is the purpose of generating dynamic secrets in HashiCorp Vault?

Dynamic secrets are generated for more advanced use cases where credentials need to be created, managed, and rotated automatically based on defined rules and policies, enhancing security and reducing manual management overhead.

What is an example of a dynamic secret generation in HashiCorp Vault?

An example of dynamic secret generation in HashiCorp Vault could involve creating temporary access credentials for AWS based on specific user roles and policies, which are automatically generated and revoked as needed.

Outlines

00:00

🔐 Introduction to Secret Engines in HashiCorp Vault

This paragraph introduces the concept of secret engines within HashiCorp Vault, emphasizing their integration with various cloud service providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and Azure. It also mentions the capability to store custom credentials within the Vault. The session focuses on basic commands to manage secret engines, including listing available secret engines, enabling, and disabling them. A visual representation from HashiCorp illustrates the integration and functionality of secret engines as additional plugins within the Vault system, allowing for the storage of different types of credentials based on user requirements.

05:01

🚀 Enabling and Disabling Secret Engines in HashiCorp Vault

The paragraph discusses the process of enabling and disabling secret engines in HashiCorp Vault. It details the commands required to list all secret engine paths on the Vault server, create custom secret engine paths, and enable specific engines such as AWS. The paragraph also covers the steps to disable a secret engine, using AWS as an example, and how to verify the changes made. The explanation includes the default secret engine paths provided upon installation of the Vault server and how to manage custom paths created by the user.

🔑 Working with AWS Credentials and Dynamic Secrets

This paragraph focuses on the practical application of HashiCorp Vault with AWS, specifically mentioning the use of root user access keys and secret keys. It also introduces the concept of generating dynamic secrets based on IAM roles and policies, indicating a shift from using static credentials to a more flexible and secure method of managing access within AWS.

Keywords

💡HashiCorp Vault

HashiCorp Vault is a tool for securely storing and managing sensitive information, such as tokens, passwords, and API keys. In the video, it is the central system where secret engines are integrated and credentials are stored. The script mentions using Vault to list, enable, and disable secret engines, which are plugins that extend Vault's functionality to support various cloud service providers.

💡Secret Engines

Secret engines are plugins within HashiCorp Vault that allow the storage and retrieval of credentials for various cloud service providers. They serve as an interface between Vault and external services, enabling users to manage secrets specific to those services. The video discusses how to manage these engines, including enabling and disabling them based on requirements.

💡Cloud Service Providers

Cloud service providers are companies that offer cloud computing services, such as storage, computing power, and databases, over the internet. In the context of the video, these providers are integrated with HashiCorp Vault through secret engines, allowing for the management of credentials specific to each provider within the Vault ecosystem.

💡Credentials

Credentials in this context refer to the authentication information required to access and manage resources on cloud service providers. This can include access keys, secret keys, and other sensitive data. The video emphasizes the importance of securely storing these credentials within HashiCorp Vault's secret engines.

💡Enable Secret Engine

Enabling a secret engine in HashiCorp Vault involves activating a specific plugin to manage credentials for a particular cloud service provider. This process establishes a connection between Vault and the external service, allowing for the secure storage and retrieval of credentials.

💡Disable Secret Engine

Disabling a secret engine in HashiCorp Vault means deactivating the plugin associated with a cloud service provider, effectively stopping the management of credentials for that service. This can be done to maintain security or if the service is no longer required.

💡Custom Secret Engine

A custom secret engine is a user-created plugin within HashiCorp Vault that is not a default part of the system. It allows for the storage and management of credentials that do not fit into the predefined categories of the default secret engines.

💡Integration

Integration in the context of the video refers to the connection and coordination between HashiCorp Vault and various cloud service providers through the use of secret engines. This enables seamless management of credentials across different platforms within the Vault system.

💡Dynamic Secrets

Dynamic Secrets are credentials or sensitive data that are generated on-the-fly based on specific rules and policies. This approach allows for the automated creation and management of credentials, reducing the need for manual input and enhancing security.

💡Policies

Policies in the context of HashiCorp Vault are sets of rules that define how credentials can be accessed and managed within the system. They play a crucial role in determining the permissions and actions allowed for different users or services.

💡IAM Roles

IAM (Identity and Access Management) roles are a feature of AWS that define a set of permissions. In the context of the video, IAM roles are likely used to control the access to AWS resources and are tied to the concept of generating dynamic secrets based on the roles' permissions.

Highlights

HashiKarp fault has excellent integration with major cloud service providers like AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud Azure, and allows for storing custom credentials.

The session will cover basic commands to manage secret engines within a Hershey Corp server.

A secret engine is considered an additional plugin with HashiKarp Vault, enabling the storage of various credential types.

The integration of secret engines allows for seamless credential management across different cloud services based on requirements.

The default secret engine paths available on a newly installed HashiKarp Vault server include identity and secret engines.

Custom secret engine paths can be created and listed using the 'Vault secret list' command.

To enable a secret engine, use the 'Vault Secrets enable' command followed by the path and name of the engine.

Verification of a successfully enabled secret engine can be done by re-running the 'Vault secret list' command.

Disabling a secret engine is achieved with the 'Vault secret disable' command and specifying the correct name of the engine.

After disabling a secret engine, the list of available engines will be reduced, and the change can be verified using the 'Vault secret list' command.

Dynamic secrets will be explored in the next session, with a focus on generating secrets based on IAM rules and policies.

The session will include a practical example of generating dynamic secrets using AWS account details.

The use of the root user access key and secret key will be discussed as part of the dynamic secrets generation process.

The session aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of managing and utilizing secret engines within the HashiKarp Vault ecosystem.

The importance of correctly naming and managing secret engines is emphasized for successful credential storage and retrieval.

The session will cover the creation, listing, enabling, and disabling of secret engines, providing a solid foundation for further exploration.

Transcripts

talking about the secret engine

hashikarp fault has a really good

integration towards the AWS Google Cloud

Oracle Cloud Azure and even you can

store your own custom credential inside

your harshikor Port so in this session

we are just gonna go through some basic

command to manage your secret engines so

we will just take a look on how to list

all the secret engines available inside

your Hershey Corp server also we are

just gonna take a look like how you can

enable and disable various secret engine

before we jump onto the terminal let's

go through few more details about the

secret engine so here's a really good

picture from a harshi Corp describing

about the secret engine so on the left

hand side as well as on the right hand

side you will see all the cloud service

provider and their integration towards

the secret engine so consider a secret

engine as an additional plugin with your

hashicorp wall so with the help of these

plugin you can store the different type

of credential inside your hashicorp wall

so so if you want to work with the

Google Cloud then you can just enable

that particular secret engine and you

can store the credential from a Google

cloud and similarly you can enable the

enable it for AWS or Azure based on your

requirements so that you can store the

different types of credential inside

your same harshi Corp World and you can

have a multiple secret engine enabled

inside your hashicorp world so this is a

really good picture which represents

represents like how the secret engine

works and how it is integrated with the

different different cloud service

provider all right so this is my

terminal and the command which I'm just

gonna run is to verify all the secret

engine path available onto my Hershey

cop server so the command which I'm just

gonna run is the Vault secret list and

it will list out all the secret engine

path which is available onto my

hashicorp Vault server and always

remember whenever you install hashicot

Vault server then there are some default

secret engine path so here you will see

the whole identity secret answers these

are the default secret engine path which

is already available onto our hashicor

fault server but here I have created my

own custom secret engine path with the

name my

so by that way which I have shown in the

previous session also like how to create

those but to list all the secret engine

path you need to run this command and in

the next step we are just gonna create

or we are just gonna enable the AWS

secret engine path also so to enable the

AWS secret engine path we are gonna run

this command so the command is Vault

Secrets enable then we need to specify

the path which is again going to be the

AWS and the name of the secret engine

that is AWS just simply run this command

and it should enable the secret engine

path for AWS and again we can run the

same Vault secret list command to verify

that that secret engine path has been

enabled or not so simply copy and paste

and run the command so here you can see

ah this is the previous output and there

were five in the list and now this is

the new output and here you can see

there are six in the list so now we have

enabled the AWS secret engine path and

with using this Vault secret enable

command in the next session we are just

gonna store some credential from AWS

into our AWS secret engine path but as

of now in this session we are just going

through the basic command to manage our

secret engine path so this is the first

command which you have seen to enable

the secret engine path all right so now

after enabling the secret engine path

how can I disable it so I'm just gonna

clear the screen uh over here

and I'm just gonna run the command Vault

secret disable AWS and remember you need

to put the correct name over here

otherwise you won't be able to disable

the secret engine path so I'm just gonna

simply hit enter

and here you can see the message comes

out to be success and it has disabled

the secret engine at AWS path

and we can verify again using the Vault

secret list so here you can see the list

has now reduced to five secret engine

path similarly you can disable your own

custom uh secret engine parts so which I

have created sorry I have run the same

one again so I can just remove

AWS and I can just type in my and hit

enter so here you can see it has

disabled the my also so I'm just gonna

clear once again and I'm just gonna

rerun the command to list all of it so

here you can see that now the list is

only showing the 4 which are the default

secret engine path which you generally

get after you install the hashicorp

Vault server so this is the command

which you can use to disable the secret

engine path based on the types of secret

engines which you have created all right

so now you know more about the secret

engine in the next session we are gonna

take some more concrete example of

dynamic secrets so we will be generating

the secrets dynamically and there we

will be taking an example with the AWS

account so we will be using the root

user access key and the secret key once

but after that we will be generating the

dynamic Secrets based on the IM rules

and the policies