“ansible-vault” is a powerful command-line tool provided by Ansible that allows users to encrypt and decrypt sensitive values, data structures, and files within Ansible projects. It provides a secure way to protect sensitive information, such as passwords, API keys, or any other confidential data, ensuring that it remains encrypted both at rest and in transit.
Here are the key features and functionalities of ansible-vault:
- Encryption and Decryption: ansible-vault enables users to encrypt sensitive data within Ansible projects using strong encryption algorithms. By encrypting data, users can safeguard it from unauthorized access. ansible-vault also allows for easy decryption when required, ensuring that authorized users can access the protected information.
- File Encryption: ansible-vault can encrypt entire files, including YAML, JSON, or any other text-based files used in Ansible projects. This feature ensures that confidential information contained within files, such as configuration files or variable files, remains secure. Encrypted files can be safely stored in version control systems or shared with other team members.
- Variable Encryption: ansible-vault provides the ability to encrypt individual variables or specific data structures within Ansible playbooks or variable files. This allows users to selectively encrypt sensitive data, providing an additional layer of protection for critical information. Variable encryption ensures that sensitive values are not visible in plain text in Ansible code.
- Password Protection: ansible-vault uses a password-based approach to encrypt and decrypt data. Users can set a strong password to secure their encrypted files and values. It is important to choose a robust password and store it securely, as it is required to decrypt the encrypted data.
- Seamless Integration: ansible-vault seamlessly integrates with other Ansible tools and workflows. Encrypted files and values can be used directly in playbooks, inventory files, or roles without any additional configuration. This makes it easy to incorporate encrypted data into automation tasks and ensures secure handling of sensitive information throughout the Ansible project.
- Editing Encrypted Files: ansible-vault allows authorized users to edit encrypted files in a secure manner. When an encrypted file is opened for editing, ansible-vault automatically decrypts the file and provides a temporary plain-text version. After making the necessary changes, the file can be re-encrypted to ensure the confidentiality of the data.
- Team Collaboration: ansible-vault supports collaboration by enabling multiple users to work on encrypted files and projects. Authorized team members can access and modify encrypted data as long as they have the password to decrypt it. This promotes secure collaboration and allows teams to work on projects containing sensitive information.
ansible-vault is an essential tool for securing sensitive data within Ansible projects. It provides encryption and decryption capabilities for files, variables, and data structures, ensuring the confidentiality of sensitive information. By utilizing ansible-vault, users can protect passwords, API keys, and other confidential data from unauthorized access, enhancing the overall security posture of their Ansible automation workflows.
ansible-vault Command Examples
1. Create a new encrypted vault file with a prompt for a password:
# ansible-vault create vault_file
2. Create a new encrypted vault file using a vault key file to encrypt it:
# ansible-vault create --vault-password-file=password_file vault_file
3. Encrypt an existing file using an optional password file:
# ansible-vault encrypt --vault-password-file=password_file vault_file
4. Encrypt a string using Ansible’s encrypted string format, displaying interactive prompts:
# ansible-vault encrypt_string
5. View an encrypted file, using a password file to decrypt:
# ansible-vault view --vault-password-file=password_file vault_file
6. Re-key already encrypted vault file with a new password file:
# ansible-vault rekey --vault-password-file=old_password_file --new-vault-password-file=new_password_file vault_file