vault-guides

This isn't HashiCorp Vault itself; it's the official collection of example code and tutorials for learning Vault. If you're trying to figure out how to store API keys, database passwords, or encryption keys securely, these guides walk you through Vault's features with working code examples. Vault is a secrets management tool: instead of hardcoding passwords in environment variables or config files, your applications request secrets from Vault at runtime. Vault can also generate temporary database credentials, encrypt data, and manage PKI certificates. It's the industry standard for secrets management at scale.

The guides cover identity management, secrets engines, encryption as a service, governance policies, and operational patterns. Examples in Shell, Python, Ruby, and Terraform. Useful for getting started but increasingly dated; some guides reference older Vault versions. Vault itself is source-available (BSL license). The open source fork is OpenBao. HCP Vault (managed cloud) starts at $0.03/hr (~$22/mo) for a small cluster.

The catch: these are learning guides, not the tool. If you need Vault, go to the main vault repo. And Vault itself is complex; it's designed for organizations with real compliance requirements. For a solo developer or small team, SOPS or doppler.com handles secrets management with 10% of the complexity.