15 Ansible Vault Command Examples for Encrypting and Decrypting Sensitive Data and Files on Linux

15 Ansible Vault Command Examples for Encrypting and Decrypting Sensitive Data and Files on Linux

 Introduction:

Ansible Vault is a feature in Ansible that allows you to encrypt sensitive data, such as passwords, private keys, and confidential information, using a password. This feature ensures that sensitive data is not exposed in plain text in the playbook or roles. In this blog, we will take a look at 15 examples of Ansible Vault commands that you can use to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data and files on Linux.

1. Encrypting a File with Ansible Vault:

ansible-vault encrypt filename.yml

2. Decrypting a File with Ansible Vault:

ansible-vault decrypt filename.yml

3. Encrypting a String with Ansible Vault:

ansible-vault encrypt_string 'secret' --name 'secret_variable'

4. Decrypting a String with Ansible Vault:

ansible-vault decrypt_string '!vault | $ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.1;AES256;...'

5. Creating a New Vault Password File:

ansible-vault create password.txt

6. Changing the Vault Password:

ansible-vault rekey filename.yml

7. Editing an Encrypted File with Ansible Vault:

ansible-vault edit filename.yml

8. Encrypting All Files in a Directory:

ansible-vault encrypt_string --vault-id @prompt 'secret' --name 'secret_variable'

9. Encrypting a File with a Specific Vault ID:

ansible-vault encrypt --vault-id password.txt filename.yml

10. Decrypting a File with a Specific Vault ID:

ansible-vault decrypt --vault-id password.txt filename.yml

11. Encrypting a File with a Password from a File:

ansible-vault encrypt --vault-id @password.txt filename.yml

12. Listing the Encrypted Variables in a File:

ansible-vault view filename.yml

13. Encrypting a Variable in a Playbook:

- name: Encrypting a Variable in a Playbook hosts: localhost vars: secret: !vault | $ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.1;AES256 ... tasks: - name: Displaying the Encrypted Variable debug: var: secret

14. Decrypting a Variable in a Playbook:

- name: Decrypting a Variable in a Playbook hosts: localhost vars: secret: !vault | $ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.1;AES256 ... tasks: - name: Displaying the Decrypted Variable debug: var: secret vars: ansible_vault_password_file: password.txt

15. Using Ansible Vault with Ansible Playbook:

ansible-playbook --vault-id @prompt filename.yml

Conclusion:

In this blog, we have covered 15 examples of Ansible Vault commands that you can use to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data and files on Linux. Ansible Vault is a powerful tool that provides a secure way to store sensitive data in your Ansible playbooks and roles. By using Ansible Vault, you can ensure that your sensitive data is protected and not exposed in plain text.