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Consul’s key/value (KV) store lets you centrally manage configuration data, feature flags, and more. You can interact with the KV store in three ways:
InterfaceDescriptionIdeal For
HTTP APIPerform CRUD operations over HTTPApplications, automation, SDKs
Command-Lineconsul kv subcommands for KV managementAdministrators, scripts
Web UIBrowser-based view and editExploratory or ad hoc changes
Below, we’ll explore each interface in detail.

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1. Consul KV HTTP API

The HTTP API exposes a /v1/kv endpoint. Use standard HTTP verbs (PUT, GET, DELETE) to manage keys.

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1.1 Writing a Key (PUT)

curl --request PUT \
     --data 'enabled' \
     https://consul.example.com:8500/v1/kv/data/app4
# => true
A response of true means the write succeeded. If the path (data/app4) doesn’t exist, Consul creates it automatically.

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1.2 Reading a Key (GET)

curl https://consul.example.com:8500/v1/kv/data/app4 | jq

[
  {
    "LockIndex": 0,
    "Key": "data/app4",
    "Flags": 0,
    "Value": "J2VuYWJsZWQn",
    "CreateIndex": 69,
    "ModifyIndex": 87
  }
]
The Value field is Base64-encoded. Decode it: 
echo "J2VuYWJsZWQn" | base64 --decode
# => 'enabled'
Base64 encoding is not encryption. Data at rest in Consul is unencrypted by default; the API simply returns values encoded in Base64.
For full API reference, see the Consul KV HTTP API documentation.

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2. Consul Command-Line Interface

The consul kv set of commands provides a quick way to interact with the KV store from your terminal. 
# Write or update a key
consul kv put app1/config/apikey 4fe20s12a02$23
# Read back the value
consul kv get app1/config/apikey
# Delete the key
consul kv delete app1/config/apikey
# Output: Success! Data deleted at key: app1/config/apikey
SubcommandAction
putCreate or update a key
getRetrieve the plaintext value
deleteRemove a key and its data
Consult the Consul CLI documentation for additional flags and examples.

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3. Consul Web UI

The Consul UI provides a visual way to browse and modify KV entries.
  1. Log in to your Consul cluster.
  2. Click on the Key/Value tab in the top navigation.
  3. Drill down through key prefixes to locate your entry.
  4. Click on a key to view or edit its value in JSON, YAML, or HCL format.
The image is a screenshot of a user interface for accessing a key/value store, highlighting the key name, key value, and options to view data in different formats. It includes labeled annotations and a cartoon character in the bottom right corner.

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4. Limiting Access with ACLs

By default, Consul’s KV store is open to all clients. To enforce security:
  1. Enable ACLs in your Consul configuration.
  2. Bootstrap an ACL management token.
  3. Create policies that grant read/write permissions on specific key prefixes.
  4. Distribute tokens to users or applications.
Once ACLs are enabled, all API, CLI, and UI requests require a valid token. Plan your migration and token distribution carefully.
For a deep dive, see the Consul ACL guide.

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