# Vault

> Hashicorp Vault is a secrets management platform, providing secure storage and encryption of sensitive data such as passwords, API keys, and certificates. University of Münster CIT operates a Vault instance for securely managing and orchestrating access to sensitive information across various systems and services.

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Site [llms.txt](/llms.txt)

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We operate a [Hashicorp Vault](https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault) instance for secure secrets management within the Uni Cloud Münster environment.

The Vault provides a centralized location for storing, retrieving, and rotating sensitive credentials, such as passwords, API keys, and certificates. It supports various secret engines, including KV (Key-Value), transit, and PKI.

It is accessible at the URL https://vault.uni-muenster.de.

## Authentication

### GUI

To access the Vault go to https://vault.uni-muenster.de. Then log in by clicking "Sign in with OIDC Provider" on the Vault login page. You need to authenticate using your university account credentials.

![OIDC Login](../../static/vault-login-oidc.png)

Leave the 'Role' field blank unless otherwise specified.

### CLI

Prerequisite: Install the Vault CLI on your machine by downloading the binary from the [official Vault website](https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/install) or by using a package manager.

First configure the `VAULT_ADDR` environment variable by running:

```bash
export VAULT_ADDR=https://vault.uni-muenster.de
```

Then, authenticate with Vault using the OIDC method by executing:

```bash
vault login -method=oidc
```

Follow the subsequent OIDC authentication workflow in your web browser to complete the login process.

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Section pages:

- [Wrapped Secrets](/docs/vault/wrapped_secrets/): Wrapping and Unwrapping with Vault: A Step-by-Step Guide