15 Ansible-Vault Command Examples to Encrypt and Decrypt Sensitive Data on Linux

15 Ansible-Vault Command Examples to Encrypt and Decrypt Sensitive Data on Linux

In today's world, managing sensitive information such as passwords, secret keys, and confidential data is a crucial task for administrators and IT professionals. With the rise of cyber threats and data breaches, it is important to ensure that sensitive information is stored and managed securely. This is where Ansible-Vault comes into the picture.

Ansible-Vault is a command-line tool used to manage sensitive information in Ansible playbooks. It allows you to encrypt and decrypt files, as well as manage passwords and secret keys. In this blog post, we will take a look at 15 Ansible-Vault command examples that can be used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data on Linux.

1. Encrypt a file:

        ansible-vault encrypt filename.txt

2. Encrypt a file with a specific password:

  ansible-vault encrypt filename.txt --vault-password-file=mypassword.txt

3. Edit an encrypted file:

        ansible-vault edit filename.txt

4. Decrypt an encrypted file:

        ansible-vault decrypt filename.txt

5. Re-encrypt an encrypted file with a new password:

        ansible-vault rekey filename.txt

6. Create an encrypted YAML file:

        ansible-vault create filename.yml

7. Encrypt an existing YAML file:

        ansible-vault encrypt filename.yml

8. View the contents of an encrypted file:

        ansible-vault view filename.txt

9. Change the password for an encrypted file:

        ansible-vault change-password filename.txt

10. Encrypt a variable in a playbook:

        ansible-vault encrypt_string --vault-password-file=mypassword.txt "secret_value"

11. Encrypt an entire playbook:

        ansible-vault encrypt playbook.yml

12. Decrypt an entire playbook:

        ansible-vault decrypt playbook.yml

13. Encrypt multiple files at once:

        ansible-vault encrypt file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

14. Decrypt multiple files at once:

        ansible-vault decrypt file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

15. Encrypt all YAML files in a directory:

        ansible-vault encrypt *.yml

These are just a few examples of how Ansible-Vault can be used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data in Ansible playbooks. By using Ansible-Vault, you can keep your sensitive information secure and avoid data breaches.

In conclusion, Ansible-Vault is a powerful tool that enables you to manage sensitive information in a secure and efficient manner. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced administrator, these examples will help you get started with using Ansible-Vault in your day-to-day operations.