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In this tutorial, we’ll demonstrate how to launch HashiCorp Vault in development mode on your local machine. Dev mode is perfect for demos, testing integrations, or learning Vault—it runs entirely in-memory, starts unsealed, and provides a single unseal key and root token.
Dev mode is not secure. Do not use it in production environments.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin:
  • Vault CLI installed and in your PATH.
  • Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt (for Windows users).
Verify your installation: 
PS C:\> vault version
Vault v1.7.0 (4e222b85c040a810b74400ee3c544494494797e32bb9f)

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1. Starting Vault in Dev Mode

In a new shell (PowerShell or cmd), start Vault: 
vault server -dev
You should see output similar to: 
WARNING! Dev mode is enabled! In this mode, Vault runs entirely in-memory
and starts unsealed with a single unseal key. The root token is already
authenticated to the CLI, so you can immediately begin using Vault.

You may need to set the following environment variable:

PowerShell:
  $env:VAULT_ADDR="http://127.0.0.1:8200"
cmd.exe:
  set VAULT_ADDR=http://127.0.0.1:8200

Unseal Key: ZEgZgHSEEmmlnRboqtY0A00TUpleaoxo8SqqtFP2Q=
Root Token: s.d6931rVSdkpBINnnRvMHBRXR

Development mode should NOT be used in production installations!
This command runs Vault in the foreground. Open a second terminal window to interact with Vault without stopping the server.

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2. Configuring Your Environment

By default, Vault listens on https://127.0.0.1:8200, but dev mode uses HTTP. Configure the VAULT_ADDR variable accordingly: PowerShell: 
PS C:\> $env:VAULT_ADDR = "http://127.0.0.1:8200"
Command Prompt: 
C:\> set VAULT_ADDR=http://127.0.0.1:8200

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3. Checking Vault Status

Confirm Vault is unsealed and running in-memory: 
vault status
Example output: 
Key             Value
---             -----
Seal Type       shamir
Initialized     true
Sealed          false
Total Shares    1
Threshold       1
Version         1.7.0
Storage Type    inmem
Cluster Name    vault-cluster-48151c3a
HA Enabled      false
Notice Storage Type: inmem—all data resides in memory.

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4. Listing Enabled Secrets Engines

Dev mode automatically enables several secrets engines. View them with: 
vault secrets list
PathTypeDescription
cubbyhole/cubbyholePer-token private secret storage
identity/identityIdentity store
secret/kvVersioned key/value secret storage (KV v2)
sys/systemSystem endpoints for control and debugging

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5. Writing and Reading KV Secrets

The KV (Key/Value) engine is mounted at secret/.
  1. Write a secret: 
    vault kv put secret/vaultcourse/bryan bryan=bryan
    Sample response: 
    Key            Value
---            -----
created_time   2021-05-12T12:27:09.504562727Z
deletion_time  n/a
destroyed      false
version        1
  2. Read the secret back: 
    vault kv get secret/vaultcourse/bryan
    Example output: 
    === Metadata ===
Key            Value
---            -----
created_time   2021-05-12T12:27:09.504562727Z
deletion_time  n/a
destroyed      false
version        1

=== Data ===
Key    Value
---    -----
bryan  bryan

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6. Cleaning Up

When you stop the dev server (e.g., Ctrl+C), all in-memory data is lost—ideal for ephemeral testing.
Every restart returns Vault to a clean slate.

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Next Steps

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