> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Demo Working with the Consul KV
> Learn to manage key/value pairs in HashiCorp Consul’s K/V store using the web UI, CLI, and HTTP API with practical examples.
In this hands-on tutorial, you’ll learn how to manage key/value pairs in HashiCorp Consul’s K/V store using three methods: the web UI, the CLI, and the HTTP API. We'll cover adding, querying, and deleting entries, plus best practices for decoding API responses.
***
## 1. Prerequisites
* SSH access to one of your Consul server nodes
* Consul UI open in your browser (defaults to [http://127.0.0.1:8500/ui](http://127.0.0.1:8500/ui))
When you first open the UI, the **Key/Value** section should be empty.
***
## 2. Adding Data via the CLI
Use the `consul kv put` command to insert entries under the `apps/eCommerce` prefix.
```bash theme={null}
# 1. Add the database host
consul kv put apps/eCommerce/database_host customer_db
# 2. Add the database name
consul kv put apps/eCommerce/database billing
# 3. Add the connection string
consul kv put apps/eCommerce/connection_string 'Server=myServerAddress;Database=myDataBase;Uid=myUsername;Pwd=myPassword;'
```
Each command will return a confirmation similar to:
```text theme={null}
Success! Data written to: apps/eCommerce/database_host
```
***
## 3. Deleting an Entry
If you need to remove a key, use `consul kv delete`. For example, to delete the connection string:
```bash theme={null}
consul kv delete apps/eCommerce/connection_string
```
Successful deletion yields:
```text theme={null}
Success! Deleted key: apps/eCommerce/connection_string
```
***
## 4. Adding Data for the Search Service
Next, create configuration entries for a hypothetical search service:
```bash theme={null}
# Store the current version
consul kv put apps/search/version 4
# Store the service URL
consul kv put apps/search/url search.service.consul
```
Refresh the UI to verify new keys under **apps → search**.
If you don’t see the new entries right away, click the **Refresh** button in the UI or clear your browser cache.
***
## 5. Querying Data in the CLI
Retrieve a value directly from the CLI:
```bash theme={null}
consul kv get apps/search/url
```
Output:
```text theme={null}
search.service.consul
```
***
## 6. Querying Data via the HTTP API
Consul’s HTTP API returns values in Base64. First, inspect the raw JSON:
```bash theme={null}
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:8500/v1/kv/apps/search/url | jq
```
Sample response:
```json theme={null}
[
{
"LockIndex": 0,
"Key": "apps/search/url",
"Flags": 0,
"Value": "c2VhcmNoLnNlcnZpY2UuY29uc3Vs",
"Namespace": "default",
"CreateIndex": 2359,
"ModifyIndex": 2359
}
]
```
To decode in one step:
```bash theme={null}
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:8500/v1/kv/apps/search/url \
| jq -r '.[0].Value' \
| base64 --decode
```
Output:
```text theme={null}
search.service.consul
```
Any application using Consul’s K/V HTTP API must Base64-decode the `Value` field before use.
***
## 7. Operation Summary
| Operation | CLI Command | API Endpoint |
| ------------- | ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Add Key | `consul kv put ` | POST `/v1/kv/:key` |
| Delete Key | `consul kv delete ` | DELETE `/v1/kv/:key` |
| Get Key (CLI) | `consul kv get ` | — |
| Get Key (API) | — | GET `/v1/kv/:key` (Base64-encoded) |
***
## 8. Further Reading
* [Consul K/V Store Overview](https://www.consul.io/docs/agent/kv)
* [Consul HTTP API Reference](https://www.consul.io/api-docs/kv)
* [Installing Consul](https://www.consul.io/docs/install)
You’ve now mastered adding, deleting, and retrieving key/value pairs in Consul using the UI, CLI, and HTTP API. Happy configuring!