Mastering Secure Configuration Management with Ansible Vault: A Guide to Encrypting and Protecting Sensitive Data

Ansible Vault is a powerful feature that enables you to encrypt and protect sensitive data, such as passwords, API keys, and other confidential information. This feature allows you to store encrypted content in version control systems without exposing sensitive data.

In this guide, we'll explore the capabilities of Ansible Vault and provide a comprehensive overview of how to use it to secure your configuration management.

Key Features:

* Encrypts and protects sensitive data with a password

* Allows storage of encrypted content in version control systems

* Supports different vault passwords for various environments (dev, staging, prod)

* Enables editing and decryption of files using the `ansible-vault` command

Best Practices:

* Choose strong and unique vault passwords to protect your encrypted files

* Store vault-encrypted files in version control, but never commit the vault password or password file

* Separate sensitive data into dedicated vault files to minimize exposure across different environments or teams

* Use `--vault-password-file` for automation purposes

By following this guide and adhering to best practices, you can ensure the security and integrity of your configuration management.

Source: https://dev.to/j3zz3r/ansible-vault-cheatsheet-mastering-secure-configuration-management-4i3n