Key Vault

intermediate
security
Enhanced Content

Definition

Azure service for securely storing and managing sensitive information like passwords, certificates, and encryption keys. Like a bank safety deposit box for your digital secrets.

Real-World Example

Applications retrieve database passwords from Key Vault instead of storing them in code files.

Cloud Provider Equivalencies

Azure Key Vault combines secrets, key management, and certificate storage in one service. Other clouds typically split these capabilities across separate services (secrets vs encryption keys vs certificates).

AWS
AWS Secrets Manager (secrets) + AWS Key Management Service (KMS) + AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
AZ
Azure Key Vault
GCP
Secret Manager (secrets) + Cloud KMS (keys) + Certificate Authority Service / Certificate Manager (certs)
OCI
OCI Vault (keys and secrets) + OCI Certificates (certs)

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