> ## 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 KeyValue Secrets Engine Version 1
> Step-by-step guide on using the KV secrets engine version 1 in HashiCorp Vault for managing secrets.
Welcome to this step-by-step guide on using the KV secrets engine version 1 in HashiCorp Vault. You will learn how to:
* List existing secrets engines
* Enable a KV v1 engine at a custom path
* Verify the engine version
* Write, read, update, and delete secrets
* Format output as JSON and extract specific fields
* List secret keys
All examples assume you have the [Vault CLI](https://www.vaultproject.io/docs/commands) installed, authenticated, and are connected to your Vault server via SSH.
***
## 1. List Existing Secrets Engines
Inspect which secret engines are currently mounted:
```bash theme={null}
vault secrets list
```
Example output:
| Path | Type | Accessor | Description |
| ---------- | --------- | ------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| cubbyhole/ | cubbyhole | cubbyhole\_9c6c2ca2 | per-token private secret storage |
| identity/ | identity | identity\_e55fbf01 | identity store |
| sys/ | system | system\_ae43616e | control, policy, and debugging |
| transit/ | transit | transit\_5bb3af5e | data encryption as a service |
> No KV engine is enabled yet.
***
## 2. Enable KV v1 at a Custom Path
Enable a KV v1 engine at `training/`:
```bash theme={null}
vault secrets enable -path=training kv
```
You should see:
```text theme={null}
Success! Enabled the kv secrets engine at: training/
```
Re-run the list command:
```bash theme={null}
vault secrets list
```
Now you’ll spot:
| Path | Type | Accessor | Description |
| --------- | ---- | ------------ | ----------- |
| training/ | kv | kv\_11d31683 | n/a |
***
## 3. Verify the Engine Version
Check the detailed mount info to confirm KV v1 (no versioning):
```bash theme={null}
vault secrets list --detailed
```
Look for an empty `Options` map (`map[]`):
```text theme={null}
Path Plugin Accessor Default TTL Max TTL Options Description
training/ kv kv_11d31683 n/a n/a map[] n/a
```
In **KV v2**, the options map includes `"version":"2"`.
***
## 4. Write Secrets
Store a single key/value pair:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv put training/apps/jenkins apikey=fkkj4ifkjwo2
```
Expected output:
```text theme={null}
Success! Data written to: training/apps/jenkins
```
***
## 5. Read Secrets
Retrieve the secret:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv get training/apps/jenkins
```
```text theme={null}
Key Value
--- -----
apikey fkkj4ifkjwo2
```
***
## 6. Update Secrets
KV v1 always overwrites data. To update, write again:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv put training/apps/jenkins user=vault-training-admin
```
Read back:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv get training/apps/jenkins
```
```text theme={null}
Key Value
---- ----------------------
user vault-training-admin
```
To store multiple fields at once:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv put training/apps/jenkins apikey=fkkj4ifkjwo2 user=vault-training-admin
```
```bash theme={null}
vault kv get training/apps/jenkins
```
```text theme={null}
Key Value
--- ----------------------
apikey fkkj4ifkjwo2
user vault-training-admin
```
***
## 7. JSON Output & Field Extraction
Output secret as JSON and parse with `jq`:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv get -format=json training/apps/jenkins
```
Sample JSON:
```json theme={null}
{
"request_id": "…",
"lease_id": "",
"data": {
"apikey": "fkkj4ifkjwo2",
"user": "vault-training-admin"
}
}
```
Extract specific fields:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv get -format=json training/apps/jenkins | jq -r .data.apikey
vault kv get -format=json training/apps/jenkins | jq -r .data.user
```
Using JSON output is useful for automation and scripting.
***
## 8. Delete Secrets
Remove the secret at a given path:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv delete training/apps/jenkins
```
Attempt to read again:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv get training/apps/jenkins
```
```text theme={null}
No value found at training/apps/jenkins
```
***
## 9. List Secret Keys
Re-create sample secrets:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv put training/apps/jenkins abc=123
vault kv put training/apps/azuredevops user=administrator
```
List keys under `training/`:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv list training/
```
```text theme={null}
Keys
----
apps/
```
List under `training/apps/`:
```bash theme={null}
vault kv list training/apps/
```
```text theme={null}
Keys
----
azuredevops
jenkins
```
* Entries ending with `/` are subdirectories.
* Others are secret paths.
***
## Summary Comparison: KV v1 vs. KV v2
| Feature | KV v1 | KV v2 |
| -------------------------- | ------------------- | ---------------- |
| Versioning | No | Yes |
| Metadata & check-and-set | N/A | Supported |
| Path for data operations | `kv put/get/delete` | `kv/data/...` |
| Options map (`--detailed`) | `map[]` | `map[version:2]` |
***
## Links and References
* [HashiCorp Vault Secrets Engines: KV](https://www.vaultproject.io/docs/secrets/kv)
* [Vault CLI Commands](https://www.vaultproject.io/docs/commands)
* [jq Manual](https://stedolan.github.io/jq/manual/)