HashiCorp Vault is a secrets management platform that securely stores and controls access to sensitive data.

Here are its main features:

Core Purpose:

• Securely store and tightly control access to tokens, passwords, certificates, encryption keys, and other sensitive data

• Accessible via UI, CLI, or HTTP API

Key Use Cases:

• Secrets Management - Store, access, and deploy secrets for applications, systems, and infrastructure

• Database Credential Management - Secure database access and manage credential lifecycle with dynamic credential generation

• Data Encryption - Encryption as a Service (EaaS) to protect data in transit and at rest, even if intrusions occur

Popular Features:

1. Key/Value Secrets Engine - Persist arbitrary secrets within configured physical storage

2. Database Secrets Engine - Dynamically generates database credentials based on pre-configured roles

3. Transit Secrets Engine - Encrypt data in-transit, providing encryption as a service

4. Transform Secrets Engine (Enterprise) - Generates cryptographically secure tokens mapped to highly sensitive data

Deployment Options:

• Self-hosted (Vault)

• Cloud-managed (HCP Vault Dedicated) - available with a free trial

Security Approach:

• Zero-trust architecture support

• Identity and access management

• Strong data and secrets protection practices

• Encryption ensures data remains protected even during security breaches

Vault is part of HashiCorp's Security Lifecycle Management suite and integrates with their broader infrastructure tools ecosystem.