HashiCorp Vault - Secure API Management & Multi-Cloud Key Management
HashiCorp, an IBM company, provides platforms specializing in Security Lifecycle Management (SLM) solutions. One of its key offerings, HashiCorp Vault, delivers a comprehensive secrets management solution, supporting both static and dynamic secrets. Additionally, it integrates with HSM (Hardware Security Module) modules for secure certificate management.
Why HashiCorp Vault for API Management?
Modern API platforms (IBM API Connect, Google Apigee, Red Hat OpenShift) demand zero-trust security, automated compliance, and multi-cloud agility.
Vault provides
Centralized API Key & Secret Management – Eliminate hardcoded credentials.
Dynamic PKI & mTLS for APIs – Automate certificate lifecycle management.
OAuth/JWT Security – Secure OAuth client secrets and token validation.
HSM Integration – FIPS 140-2 compliant key storage for regulatory compliance.
Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Support – Secure APIs across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-prem.
High Availability (HA) & Disaster Recovery (DR) – Ensure uptime with active-active clusters.
Key Integration Use Cases
Key Integration Use Cases
Secure API Key & Credential Management: Dynamic Secrets: Rotate Apigee/RHOCP API keys automatically (no manual intervention). Centralized Access Control: Enforce least-privilege policies for API consumers. Audit Logging: Track every API key access for compliance (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS).
Automated Certificate Management (PKI): On-Demand TLS/mTLS – Issue short-lived certs for API gateways (e.g., APIC, Envoy). ACME Protocol Support – Integrate with Let’s Encrypt or private CA via Vault PKI. Kubernetes Integration – Sync certs with RHOCP via Vault Secrets Operator.
OAuth & JWT Security: Secure OAuth Client Secrets – Store and rotate credentials in Vault. JWT Signing/Validation – Use Vault as a centralized identity provider.
HSM-Backed Key Protection: CloudHSM & On-Prem HSM Support (AWS CloudHSM, Azure Key Vault, Thales Luna). FIPS-Compliant Crypto Operations – Signing/encryption without exposing keys.
Multi-Cloud & Hybrid API Security: Unified Secrets Management – Secure API keys across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-prem. Cross-Cloud Encryption – Use Vault’s Transit Engine for consistent data protection.
High Availability (HA) & Disaster Recovery (DR): Active-Active Clustering – Multi-region deployments with Performance Replication. Near-Zero Downtime Failover – DR clusters with token/lease synchronization. Self-Healing Architecture – Automated leader election and node recovery.
Vault Architecture for API Security
