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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:

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1. Starting Vault in Dev Mode

In a new shell (PowerShell or cmd), start Vault:
You should see output similar to:
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:
Command Prompt:

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3. Checking Vault Status

Confirm Vault is unsealed and running in-memory:
Example output:
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:

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5. Writing and Reading KV Secrets

The KV (Key/Value) engine is mounted at secret/.
  1. Write a secret:
    Sample response:
  2. Read the secret back:
    Example output:

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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

Watch Video

Practice Lab