Ansible Vault encrypts passwords, API keys, certificates, and other sensitive values before they are committed to a repository or stored with your automation. Use file-level encryption when the entire variables file should be opaque and easy to rekey; use variable-level encryption when reviewers need to see the surrounding YAML. Supply the vault password at runtime, map readable playbook variables to vaulted values, and suppress output that could reveal secrets after decryption.
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Vault protects data at rest, not every place a secret exists during a run. Ansible decrypts values for execution, and some modules deliver decrypted files to the managed host. Treat password delivery, task output, logs, temporary files, and target-host permissions as part of the security design.
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Ansible Vault provides encryption for sensitive data such as passwords. A vaulted file is unreadable in its stored form, while a variable encrypted with ansible-vault encrypt_string can remain inside an otherwise ordinary YAML file.
The protection boundary is data at rest. During execution, Ansible must decrypt a value to use it. A task can therefore disclose a secret through normal output, a debug statement, a failed command, a callback plugin, or an application log. Add no_log: true to tasks that handle confidential arguments or results when suppressing output is appropriate, and review any surrounding tasks that might print derived values.
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A vaulted source is also plaintext after Ansible decrypts it for delivery. If an encrypted file is used as the src for copy, template, unarchive, script, or assemble, Ansible decrypts it before sending it to the managed host; the resulting file on that host is not still Vault-encrypted. Secure the destination and remove temporary material according to your host-security procedures.
Choose file-level or variable-level encryption
Decide the scope before creating secrets. The choice affects what reviewers can read, how you rotate passwords, and whether an entire YAML document or only selected values are hidden.
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| Consideration | File-level encryption | Variable-level encryption |
|---|---|---|
| How it is created | ansible-vault create or ansible-vault encrypt encrypts the complete file. |
ansible-vault encrypt_string encrypts one value and prints a YAML assignment. |
| Visibility of surrounding YAML | The file is opaque during ordinary review. | Keys, comments, structure, and non-secret values remain readable. |
| Are variable names hidden? | Yes. The whole document, including names, is encrypted. | No. The variable name remains visible beside its encrypted value. |
| Password rotation | Use ansible-vault rekey when the old password is available. |
There is no direct rekey operation for an individual encrypted variable; decrypt and recreate the value with the new password. |
| Tasks and handlers | Suitable for a complete vars file, but not for making individual task arguments selectively readable. | Useful when only a few values in a readable playbook or vars file are secret. |
| Review ergonomics | Reviewers cannot inspect ordinary YAML without decrypting the file. | Diffs show the non-secret context while the protected value stays encrypted. |
Use file-level encryption when
- The variable names themselves reveal information, such as which service or environment exists.
- A group of related secrets should share one controlled rotation event.
- You want a single encrypted file that can be loaded with
vars_files.
Use variable-level encryption when
- Reviewers need to understand the surrounding YAML structure.
- Only a small number of values are confidential.
- You accept that each encrypted value must be recreated during password rotation.
Plan passwords and vault IDs before committing files
The vault password is separate from the encrypted data. Do not commit a plaintext password beside the file it unlocks. Ansible can receive the password interactively, from a protected file, or from an executable client script.
One password or several vault IDs?
| Approach | Advantages | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| One password | Simpler local commands, fewer credentials to distribute, and less CI/CD configuration. | A password compromise can expose every file protected with it; environment separation is weaker. |
| Multiple vault IDs | Separate development, staging, production, or other trust boundaries and reduce the blast radius of one credential. | Every execution environment must select the right password source, and rotation requires tracking each identity. |
A vault ID is a label and a hint, not a replacement for the password. When several passwords are supplied, Ansible tries the password associated with the matching label first and then other supplied secrets according to its documented behavior. Keep labels meaningful, such as dev and prod, and do not assume a label alone enforces isolation.
Password files and executable clients
--vault-password-file accepts either a plain-text file containing the password or an executable script that returns the password. Restrict access to a password file and protect the script and its output just as you would any other credential. A script can retrieve a secret from an approved secret-management system without writing the vault password into the playbook repository.
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For recurring use, configure a default password file with DEFAULT_VAULT_PASSWORD_FILE or ANSIBLE_VAULT_PASSWORD_FILE. You can also configure a default vault-ID list for environments that routinely use labeled identities. Make the source explicit in CI so a job cannot silently select an unintended credential.
Create and manage encrypted content
Create a new encrypted file
Use ansible-vault create when the file does not yet exist:
ansible-vault create group_vars/all/vault.ymlAnsible prompts for a vault password and opens the configured editor. Add only the variables that need file-level protection, save the file, and close the editor. The stored file is encrypted rather than ordinary YAML.
Encrypt an existing YAML file
To protect a file that currently contains plaintext variables, run:
ansible-vault encrypt group_vars/all/secrets.ymlProvide the password when prompted. After the command completes, the file is encrypted in place. Check repository status and diffs so the plaintext version is not left in another copy, generated artifact, editor backup, or staging directory.
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Encrypt one variable
For a single value, run:
ansible-vault encrypt_string --name 'db_password' 'value'The command prints a YAML assignment containing the encrypted value. Paste that complete assignment into a vars file, preserving the variable name and indentation. The literal value supplied on a command line may be exposed through shell history or process inspection; use a workflow in which those exposures are controlled, and prefer file-level encryption when handling several secrets interactively would be risky.
View, edit, decrypt, and rekey
Use the management commands that match the operation:
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
ansible-vault view file.yml |
Decrypts for viewing without changing the stored encrypted file. |
ansible-vault edit file.yml |
Decrypts into the editor and re-encrypts the file when you save and exit. |
ansible-vault decrypt file.yml |
Removes Vault encryption and leaves the file as plaintext; use only when that exposure is intentional. |
ansible-vault rekey file.yml |
Changes the password protecting a file when you can provide the old password and the new password. |
Keep decrypted working copies out of commits and shared temporary directories. If you use decrypt for a one-time migration, re-encrypt the file promptly and check that no plaintext copy remains.
Load vaulted variables in a playbook
Keep the name used by tasks readable while storing the actual secret under a clearly marked vaulted name. A common pattern is an encrypted vars file plus a non-secret alias:
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vars_files:
- group_vars/all/vault.yml
vars:
db_password: "{{ vault_db_password }}"
tasks:
- name: Configure the database connection
ansible.builtin.template:
src: database.conf.j2
dest: /etc/myapp/database.conf
no_log: trueIn this example, vault_db_password belongs in the encrypted file, while tasks refer to db_password. The alias keeps templates and task arguments understandable without placing the password itself in the playbook. Put the encrypted file in the location your playbook loads, or list it explicitly with vars_files as shown.
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For variable-level encryption, the encrypted assignment can live in the same readable YAML file as the alias or other configuration. The surrounding keys remain visible, but the value is represented by Vault data. Do not print the variable while testing; a successful decryption can still become a log disclosure.
Run a playbook with the correct password source
Prompt for a password
For an interactive run, ask Ansible to prompt:
ansible-playbook site.yml --ask-vault-passThe password is entered at the terminal instead of being stored in the command line. This is convenient for a human operator but unsuitable for unattended jobs unless a non-interactive source is configured.
Read a protected password file or script
Supply a file or executable client with:
ansible-playbook site.yml --vault-password-file /path/to/vault-passwordThe referenced item may be a plain-text password file or an executable script whose output is the password. Protect its permissions and ensure the execution account can read or run it while other accounts cannot.
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Use labeled vault IDs
For separate identities, label each source:
ansible-playbook site.yml --vault-id dev@dev-password --vault-id prod@promptHere, the dev password comes from a source named dev-password, while Ansible prompts for the prod password. Use the label that matches the encrypted content when possible. Supplying multiple sources lets Ansible try the matching label first, but verify your labels and credentials rather than relying on fallback behavior.
Rotate a vault password safely
Rekey a file-encrypted document
When the old password is available, rotate a file-level secret with:
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Rotate a variable-level secret
Variable-level ciphertext cannot be rekeyed directly. Retrieve the current value through an authorized workflow, run ansible-vault encrypt_string again with the replacement password, and replace the old YAML assignment with the newly generated assignment. Treat the plaintext value as exposed during this operation: avoid shell history, editor backups, logs, and temporary files, then verify that the old encrypted value is removed from the active configuration.
Separate rotation by environment
Using distinct vault IDs for development and production allows one environment’s password to be changed without re-encrypting every other environment’s file. Keep an inventory of which files use each label, update automation that supplies the corresponding password, and test each environment independently.
Troubleshoot common failures
An encrypted file will not load
- Confirm the command includes
--ask-vault-pass,--vault-password-file, or the required--vault-id. - Check that the password source is readable or executable by the account running Ansible.
- For labeled content, verify the vault ID spelling and that the matching password source is supplied.
The password is rejected
Use the password that encrypted that specific file or variable. A password that works for one vault ID does not prove it is valid for another. If several sources are supplied, check the labels first and then test each credential deliberately rather than changing encrypted content blindly.
The variable is undefined
Confirm that the encrypted file is actually loaded by the play, that the variable name in the alias exactly matches the vaulted name, and that YAML indentation is intact. With variable-level encryption, preserve the complete assignment printed by encrypt_string; manually rewriting its structure can invalidate the value.
A secret appears in output
Find the task, debug statement, callback, or command that emitted it and add an appropriate no_log: true control. Rotate the affected secret if it reached a shared log or job transcript. Vault cannot retract a value that was already decrypted and recorded elsewhere.
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A deployed file is readable on the host
This is expected when a vaulted source is used with modules that decrypt before delivery. Apply host-side file ownership and permission controls, limit access to the destination, and remove unnecessary copies. Vault protects the repository-side file, not the plaintext artifact required by the application.
Quick Recap
Operational checklist
- Choose file-level encryption when hiding names and structure or simplifying rekeying matters.
- Choose variable-level encryption when readable YAML context is more valuable and individual-value rotation is acceptable.
- Keep vault passwords in protected files, executable clients, or an approved secret-management workflow rather than in the repository.
- Use separate vault IDs for environments or trust boundaries that should not share a blast radius.
- Load encrypted files explicitly and map ordinary task variables to vaulted variables.
- Run sensitive tasks with output suppression where disclosure is possible.
- Remember that files delivered by
copy,template,unarchive,script, orassembleare plaintext on the target after decryption. - Rotate file-encrypted content with
ansible-vault rekey; recreate variable-level ciphertext withencrypt_string. - After a migration or incident, search for plaintext copies in logs, editor backups, temporary directories, and generated artifacts.
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