--- title: "Infisical vs. HashiCorp Vault" description: "How Infisical and HashiCorp Vault differ on secrets, rotation, syncs, access requests, certificates with Vault PKI, encryption, and running the cluster, and how to migrate from Vault." canonical: "https://infisical.com/compare/infisical-vs-hashicorp-vault" last-reviewed: "2026-10-22" source-index: https://infisical.com/llms.txt --- # Infisical vs. HashiCorp Vault Looking for a HashiCorp Vault alternative? Infisical automates secrets, certificates, and encryption out of the box. Your whole team can use it from a dashboard, without engineers who specialize in Vault. ## HashiCorp Vault and Infisical in brief Facts checked against current docs on 2026-10-22. Each section below goes deeper.
| | Infisical | HashiCorp Vault | |---|---|---| | What it is | One platform for secrets, certificates, privileged access, and KMS, with the workflows built in | A secrets engine framework: KV, database, PKI, Transit, and other engines you mount and wire together | | License | MIT-licensed open-source core | Business Source License since 2023 | | Deployment | Infisical Cloud in US and EU regions, or self-hosted on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux packages, AWS ECS with Fargate, or Google GKE | Self-managed clusters, or HCP Vault Dedicated | | Storage | PostgreSQL and Redis | Integrated storage (Raft) or Consul, run as part of the cluster | | Expertise to run | Any engineer, from the dashboard, CLI, or Kubernetes operator | Engineers who specialize in Vault's engines, auth methods, and HCL, often a dedicated team | | Unsealing | None. It starts like any other app | Every node starts sealed and needs key shares or an auto-unseal setup | | Secret structure | Projects, environments, and folders | Mounts and paths you design yourself | | Rotation | 30+ rotation types, including databases, cloud, LDAP, Okta, and Stripe | Built in for databases, LDAP, and some cloud accounts. Anything else needs a custom plugin or script | | Syncs | 49+ sync destinations across clouds, CI/CD, and hosting platforms | Secrets Sync to 5 destinations, Enterprise only | | Access requests | Self-serve, time-boxed requests with approvals in Slack or Teams | None. Access changes are policy edits | | Sign-in | SAML, OIDC, and LDAP, with SCIM provisioning | OIDC, LDAP, and more. SAML on Enterprise or HCP only | | Certificates | Private CAs, external CAs, ACME, EST, SCEP, discovery, renewal, alerts, and syncs | The PKI engine issues, and Enterprise can request from public ACME CAs. Discovery, alerts, and delivery are left to you | | Encryption | Encryption API, KMIP, and external KMS or HSM root keys | Transit engine. KMIP and the Key Management engine on Enterprise only | | Automation | REST API, CLI, SDKs for 9 languages, Terraform provider, Kubernetes operator, and a docs MCP server for AI agents | REST API, CLI, official Go and Ruby clients, Terraform provider, and Vault Agent | | Getting started | Sign up free, or self-host the open-source core | Run Community Edition, or talk to sales for Enterprise |
## What's the difference between Infisical and HashiCorp Vault? Vault gives you building blocks you need to assemble, maintain, and operate, which takes engineers who specialize in it. Infisical works out of the box and automates workflows like access requests, rotation, syncs, and more from day one.
| Stage | Infisical | HashiCorp Vault | |---|---|---| | Evaluate | Try the free tier from the dashboard, with nothing to set up; Self-host the MIT-licensed open-source version | Learn engines, auth methods, and Vault's own policy language before a real test; Source-available, not open source | | Deploy/integrate | Use managed cloud, or self-host on Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, AWS ECS, or Google GKE; Back with PostgreSQL and Redis your team already knows how to run | Run Vault's integrated Raft storage, with its own quorum, snapshots, and recovery; Set up auto-unseal with a cloud KMS, an HSM, or a second Vault cluster, or define a key ceremony | | Migrate/onboard | Move secrets, Kubernetes auth, and policies with the built-in Vault migration; Sync secrets back into Vault so apps move one at a time | Lay out mounts and paths for every team; Write policies in Vault's own language and set up a ticket queue | | Control access | Sign in with any SSO; Access requests, RBAC, and ABAC | SAML needs Enterprise or HCP. OIDC works in Community; Access changes go through tickets and policy edits | | Operate | Edit secrets and values in the dashboard; Find secrets with search across environments, folders, and more; Run apps locally with secrets injected by the CLI | Hunt for secrets across mounts, without search; Debug "permission denied" errors from policy paths; Unseal nodes after restarts, unless you've set up auto-unseal | | Automate | Automatically rotate database, cloud, and other credentials; Issue dynamic secrets on demand for 30+ targets out of the box; Sync secrets to 49+ destinations | Build custom logic for rotations beyond databases, LDAP, and some cloud accounts; Enable and configure an engine for each dynamic secret; Sync to 5 destinations on Enterprise, script the rest | | Audit | Search audit logs in the dashboard or stream them to a SIEM | Keep an audit device writing, or Vault stops answering requests | | Scale | Add certificate management, privileged access, AI agent security, and KMS in the same platform | Buy separate products for privileged access (Boundary) and secret scanning (Vault Radar); Hire more Vault engineers to keep up with maintenance |
## Infisical vs. HashiCorp Vault at a glance Infisical gives you out of the box what Vault makes you build. ### Platform and deployment Where each product runs, what it's built on, and what it covers.
| Feature | Infisical | HashiCorp Vault | |---|---|---| | Open source | MIT-licensed core, 29,000+ GitHub stars | Business Source License | | Self-hosting | Standard app on PostgreSQL and Redis | Cluster on Vault's own Raft storage | | Managed cloud | US and EU regions | Hosted, but you configure engines and policies | | Expertise to run | Any engineer, via dashboard or CLI | Specialized Vault engineers | | Product scope | Secrets, certificates, privileged access, AI agents, and KMS | Limited beyond secrets management |
**Open source.** Infisical's core is published under the MIT license, with over 29,000 GitHub stars, so a security team can read the code it deploys and run it in a test environment before talking to anyone. Vault moved from the Mozilla Public License to the Business Source License in August 2023, which restricts using it to build a competing product. OpenBao is the community fork of the last open-source Vault. Docs: [Deployment models](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/getting-started/concepts/deployment-models). **Self-hosting.** Infisical self-hosts as a single container, with Docker Compose, on Kubernetes with the official Helm chart, or as a Linux package, and needs only PostgreSQL and Redis. Backups are ordinary PostgreSQL backups. A Vault node starts sealed every time it starts, so a self-managed cluster needs key holders or an auto-unseal setup, plus a storage backend (integrated Raft storage or Consul) whose snapshots, quorum, and upgrades your team runs. Docs: [Self-hosting overview](https://infisical.com/docs/self-hosting/overview), [Kubernetes with Helm](https://infisical.com/docs/self-hosting/deployment-options/kubernetes-helm), [Requirements](https://infisical.com/docs/self-hosting/configuration/requirements). **Managed cloud.** Infisical Cloud runs in US and EU regions, with dedicated instances available. Where it has to reach a private network, such as a database to rotate, one gateway connects out through a relay, so no inbound firewall rules change. HashiCorp's managed option is HCP Vault Dedicated, billed per cluster hour and per client. IBM has retired HCP Vault Secrets. Docs: [Networking](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/setup/networking), [Gateways](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/gateways/overview). **Expertise to run.** Infisical is built to be used by any engineer: developers manage secrets in the dashboard, pull them with the CLI, and request access themselves, and platform teams set up syncs, rotation, and the Kubernetes operator without learning a policy language. Vault can do most of the same, but each piece is an engine to mount, an auth method to configure, and an HCL policy to write and debug, and the cluster itself has to be unsealed, backed up, and upgraded. In practice that takes engineers who specialize in Vault, often a dedicated team. Docs: [Secrets Management overview](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secrets-mgmt/overview). **Product scope.** Secrets Management, Certificate Management, Privileged Access Management, KMS, and Agent Vault run on the same Infisical platform, with shared identities, audit logs, and gateway. Vault covers secrets, certificates, and encryption as engines inside one server. HashiCorp has no separate certificate product, on HCP or self-managed, so certificates mean the PKI engine. Docs: [Secrets Management](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secrets-mgmt/overview), [Certificate Management](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/overview), [Privileged Access Management](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pam/overview), [KMS](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/kms/overview). ### Secrets management Storing the credentials apps use, like API keys and database passwords, and getting them to the apps that need them.
| Feature | Infisical | HashiCorp Vault | |---|---|---| | Secret structure | Projects, environments, and folders | Mounts and paths you design | | Dashboard | Search, tags, and comments across environments | One mount at a time, no search | | Secret rotation | 30+ types out of the box | Databases, LDAP, and some cloud accounts. Otherwise custom code | | Dynamic secrets | Yes | Yes | | Syncs and integrations | 49+ destinations | 5 destinations, Enterprise only | | Kubernetes | Operator, sidecar, or CSI mount | Operator, sidecar, or CSI provider | | Terraform | Provider, plus Terraform Cloud syncs | Provider | | SDKs | 9 languages | Go and Ruby |
**Secret structure.** Infisical organizes secrets into projects, environments such as development, staging, and production, and nested folders, which mirrors how teams deploy. Secrets can reference each other across environments and folders, and every change is versioned. In Vault, the team designs its own layout of secrets engine mounts and paths, and every policy is written against those paths. Docs: [Projects](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secrets-mgmt/project), [Folders](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/folder), [Secret referencing](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secret-reference). **Dashboard.** Infisical's Secrets Overview shows every environment of a project side by side, so developers spot a value missing from prod and fix it in place, and the dashboard adds search, filters by type and tag, comments, personal overrides, and drag-and-drop import of .env, JSON, YAML, or CSV files. An admin can also search the whole organization for a leaked value. Vault's UI browses one mount at a time through the API, with no search or recursive listing, so a user whose policy grants a deep path can't click down to it without list rights on every folder above it. Its visual policy editor is Enterprise only, so policies are otherwise written in HCL. Docs: [Secrets overview and dashboard](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secrets-mgmt/project), [Secret value search](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secret-value-search). **Secret rotation.** Infisical rotates credentials on a schedule for 30+ providers, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, OracleDB, MongoDB, Redis, LDAP, AWS IAM users, Azure and Okta client secrets, and Stripe and OpenAI keys. Most use two alternating credentials, so the previous one stays valid while apps pick up the new one. Vault rotates database static roles, LDAP, and some cloud credentials, such as AWS and Azure static roles. Anything else, including secrets in the KV engine, needs a custom secrets engine plugin or an external script your team writes and maintains. Docs: [Secret rotation](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secret-rotation/overview), [How rotation works](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secrets-mgmt/concepts/secrets-rotation). **Dynamic secrets.** Both issue short-lived credentials on demand that expire on their own. Infisical covers 30+ targets, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Snowflake, AWS IAM, GCP IAM, Azure Entra ID, Kubernetes, LDAP, and SSH. Vault's database, cloud, and other secrets engines do the same. Docs: [Dynamic secrets](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/dynamic-secrets/overview). **Syncs and integrations.** Infisical pushes secrets to 49+ destinations, including AWS Secrets Manager and Parameter Store, Azure Key Vault, GCP Secret Manager, GitHub, GitLab, Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare, Terraform Cloud, and HashiCorp Vault itself, and keeps them updated on every change. Vault's Secrets Sync reaches five destinations and needs Enterprise. Anything else is a script or a Vault Agent template your team maintains. Docs: [Secret syncs](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/secret-syncs/overview), [All integrations](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/all). **Kubernetes.** Both deliver secrets to Kubernetes. Infisical's operator syncs secrets into Kubernetes Secrets, pushes them back, manages dynamic secret leases, and reloads deployments when values change. A CSI provider and an agent injector cover the other patterns. Vault offers the same three patterns: the Vault Secrets Operator, which syncs into Kubernetes Secrets and can restart workloads, the Agent Injector sidecar, and a CSI provider. Each one authenticates through Vault's Kubernetes auth method, so every app needs a Kubernetes auth role and an HCL policy written in Vault first, and that auth configuration has broken for teams on cluster upgrades when the service account token issuer changed. Docs: [Kubernetes operator](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/platforms/kubernetes/overview), [CSI provider](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/platforms/kubernetes-csi), [Agent injector](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/platforms/kubernetes-injector). **Terraform.** Both have a Terraform provider that reads secrets as ephemeral values, which never land in Terraform state. Infisical's provider also manages Infisical resources such as projects and gateways, Terraform Cloud runs can sign in to Infisical over OIDC, and a Terraform Cloud sync pushes secrets into variable sets or workspaces. Vault's Secrets Sync doesn't include Terraform Cloud among its destinations. Docs: [Terraform provider](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/frameworks/terraform), [Terraform Cloud sync](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/secret-syncs/terraform-cloud), [OIDC auth for Terraform Cloud](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/identities/oidc-auth/terraform-cloud). **SDKs.** Infisical maintains SDKs for Node.js, Python, Java, .NET, Go, Ruby, PHP, Rust, and C++. HashiCorp maintains official Vault client libraries for Go and Ruby. Other languages rely on community libraries. Docs: [SDKs](https://infisical.com/docs/sdks/overview). ### Access and governance Who can see and change what, access requests and approvals, and audit logs.
| Feature | Infisical | HashiCorp Vault | |---|---|---| | Access control | Tightly-scoped RBAC and ABAC | Policies in a proprietary language | | Approval workflows | Change and access approvals, wherever you work | Ticket queue-style workflow | | Access requests | Self-serve and time-boxed | Tickets and policy edits | | SAML SSO | Yes | Enterprise only. OIDC in Community | | SCIM | Yes | Enterprise only | | Audit log retention | Searchable, streams to any SIEM | File, syslog, or socket you manage |
**Access control.** Infisical scopes roles to a project, environment, folder, or single secret, with attribute-based rules on identity metadata and temporary role assignments that expire on their own. In Vault, access is ACL policies written in HCL against mount paths, which the team writes, reviews, and keeps in step with every new mount. Docs: [Role-based access controls](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/access-controls/role-based-access-controls), [Attribute-based access controls](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/access-controls/abac/overview), [Temporary access](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/access-controls/temporary-access). **Approval workflows.** Infisical turns a change to a protected environment into a change request that approvers review, like a pull request, with required approval counts, self-approval rules, and a break-glass bypass. Approvers get notified in Slack or Microsoft Teams. Vault's closest feature is control groups, which need Enterprise. Docs: [Approval workflows](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secrets-mgmt/concepts/approval-workflows), [Slack](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/workflow-integrations/slack-integration), [Microsoft Teams](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/workflow-integrations/microsoft-teams-integration). **Access requests.** A developer in Infisical can request access to an environment or folder for a set time, an approver signs off in multiple steps if the policy says so, and the access expires on its own. Vault has no self-serve access requests, so access changes become tickets and policy edits. Docs: [Access requests](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/access-controls/access-requests). **SAML SSO.** Infisical signs users in with SAML or OIDC through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google, JumpCloud, Keycloak, Auth0, and others, as well as LDAP. Vault supports OIDC and LDAP sign-in on Community Edition, and SAML only on Enterprise or HCP. Docs: [SSO](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/sso/overview). **SCIM.** Infisical provisions and removes users and groups from Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, JumpCloud, and Ping through SCIM, and maps identity provider groups to Infisical groups. Vault supports SCIM on Enterprise only. Docs: [SCIM](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/scim/overview), [Group mappings](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/scim/group-mappings). **Audit log retention.** Infisical keeps audit logs in the platform, searchable in the dashboard, and streams them to Datadog, Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Cribl, Sumo Logic, Better Stack, Cortex XSIAM, or any HTTPS endpoint. Vault writes audit logs to file, syslog, or socket devices, and storing and searching them is up to you. If Vault can't write to at least one enabled audit device, it refuses the request, so a full disk can stop Vault from answering. Docs: [Audit logs](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/audit-logs), [Audit log streams](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/audit-log-streams/audit-log-streams). ### Certificate management Issuing, finding, renewing, and installing certificates.
| Feature | Infisical | HashiCorp Vault | |---|---|---| | Certificate product | Full lifecycle management, from any CA | Issuance engine, no discovery or inventory | | CAs and enrollment | Certificates from any CA, over ACME, EST, SCEP, or API | Its own CAs over ACME or API. Public ACME CAs, EST, SCEP, and CMPv2 on Enterprise | | Discovery and inventory | Discover every certificate on your infrastructure | No discovery, lists its own by serial number | | Renewal, alerts, and syncs | Automatic, with alerts and 13+ sync destinations | Client-driven, no alerts, delivery scripted |
**Certificate product.** Infisical Certificate Management is a full certificate lifecycle product: it runs private CAs, issues from public and enterprise CAs, discovers certificates on your networks, keeps one inventory, renews server-side, alerts before expiry, and pushes certificates to where they're served. Vault has no certificate management product, on HCP or self-managed. Certificates come from the PKI engine, one of Vault's secrets engines, which issues certificates (and on Enterprise, requests them from public ACME CAs) and leaves discovery, inventory, alerting, and delivery to tools and scripts your team adds. Docs: [Certificate Management](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/overview). **CAs and enrollment.** Infisical creates root and intermediate CAs with RSA, ECDSA, or post-quantum ML-DSA keys, can keep CA keys in an HSM through PKCS#11, and issues through any ACME CA (Let's Encrypt, DigiCert, Sectigo, and others), DigiCert directly, AWS Private CA, Microsoft AD CS, and Venafi. Clients enroll over ACME, EST with certificate-based re-enrollment, SCEP with a challenge password for Intune and Jamf, or the REST API. Vault's PKI engine runs issuers inside a mount and serves ACME and its API. HSM-backed keys, public CAs over ACME, EST, SCEP, and CMPv2 all need Enterprise, and CAs without ACME, such as AD CS or AWS Private CA, stay out of reach. Docs: [Private CA](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/ca/private-ca), [External CAs](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/ca/external-ca), [ACME enrollment](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/applications/enrollment-methods/acme), [EST enrollment](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/applications/enrollment-methods/est), [SCEP enrollment](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/applications/enrollment-methods/scep). **Discovery and inventory.** Infisical scans domains, IP addresses, and CIDR ranges on a schedule, reaching private networks through the gateway, and keeps every certificate it issues, imports, or discovers in one inventory, filterable by application, issuer, expiry, and algorithm. Vault only knows the certificates its own PKI engines issued or requested, listed by serial number, and its inventory reporting is in beta on HCP only. Docs: [Discovery](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/discovery/overview), [Certificates](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/applications/certificates). **Renewal, alerts, and syncs.** Infisical renews the certificates it issues server-side before they expire, alerts on expiry, renewal, and revocation through email, Slack, PagerDuty, or webhooks, and pushes certificates to 13+ destinations, including AWS Certificate Manager, AWS load balancers, Azure Key Vault, Cloudflare, F5 BIG-IP, and Linux and Windows servers, with nothing installed on the target. Vault's renewal is client-driven, so each workload needs Vault Agent, cert-manager, or its own code. It has no expiry alerting and no certificate delivery, so monitoring and getting certificates onto load balancers and cloud services are scripted. Docs: [Certificate renewal](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/applications/certificate-renewal), [Alerting](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/applications/alerting/overview), [Certificate syncs](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/applications/certificate-syncs/overview). ### Keys and encryption
| Feature | Infisical | HashiCorp Vault | |---|---|---| | Encryption API | Yes | Yes | | KMIP | Yes | Enterprise only | | External KMS and HSM | AWS KMS, GCP KMS, and PKCS#11 HSMs | HSM and Key Management engine on Enterprise only |
**Encryption API.** Both encrypt, decrypt, and sign data through an API, so keys never sit in application code. Infisical KMS manages symmetric and asymmetric keys per project, and Vault does the same with its Transit engine. Docs: [KMS](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/kms/overview), [Encrypt endpoint](https://infisical.com/docs/api-reference/endpoints/kms/encryption/encrypt). **KMIP.** Infisical serves KMIP through a KMIP server started with the Infisical CLI, so databases, storage arrays, and servers that speak KMIP fetch keys from Infisical KMS. Vault's KMIP secrets engine needs Enterprise. Docs: [KMIP](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/kms/kmip). **External KMS and HSM.** Infisical can encrypt a project's data with a key in AWS KMS or GCP KMS, and a self-hosted instance can keep its root key in an HSM. Vault's Key Management engine, which manages keys in cloud KMSs, and its HSM support need Enterprise. Docs: [AWS KMS](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/kms-configuration/aws-kms), [GCP KMS](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/kms-configuration/gcp-kms), [HSM integration](https://infisical.com/docs/self-hosting/guides/hsm-integration). ## What you run with each ### Infisical - **Infisical platform**: The web app, API, and every product, in one container image or Helm chart. On Infisical Cloud, Infisical runs it. - **PostgreSQL and Redis**: The database and cache, when self-hosting. - **gateway (where needed)**: Reaches private databases and networks for rotation, dynamic secrets, and certificates, connecting out through a relay. - **Kubernetes operator (optional)**: Syncs secrets into Kubernetes and reloads deployments when they change. - **Infisical Agent or CLI (optional)**: Injects secrets into processes and files on hosts no sync reaches. ### HashiCorp Vault - **Vault server nodes**: The cluster itself, usually three or five nodes, each started sealed. - **Storage backend**: Integrated Raft storage or a Consul cluster, with its own quorum, snapshots, and upgrades. - **Unseal mechanism**: Key shares held by people, or an auto-unseal setup with a cloud KMS, a transit Vault, or an HSM. - **Load balancer**: Routes clients to the active node. - **Audit device sinks**: Files, syslog, or a socket, which must stay writable or Vault stops answering requests. - **Vault Agent, Agent Injector, or Vault Secrets Operator**: Gets secrets into hosts and Kubernetes workloads and renews leases and tokens. - **Scripts and templates**: Deliver secrets to destinations Secrets Sync doesn't reach, and monitor certificate expiry. - **Enterprise features (when licensed)**: Performance standbys, replication, namespaces, Secrets Sync, and control groups. ## When HashiCorp Vault is the better fit Vault makes sense for some teams. It fits when: - You already have engineers who specialize in Vault and want to compose low-level building blocks yourself. - You've invested heavily in Vault Agent templates, custom plugins, or Sentinel policies, and the rework outweighs the operating cost. - You depend on a Vault secrets engine or plugin that Infisical has no equivalent for. - Your organization is standardized on IBM and HashiCorp tooling and buys Vault Enterprise as part of that. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Infisical a HashiCorp Vault alternative? Yes. Infisical covers what teams use Vault for (secrets, dynamic credentials, certificates, and encryption) and works out of the box: a dashboard, access requests, rotation, and automations. Vault has similar capabilities, but requires specialized engineers (and often a dedicated team). ### Is Infisical a Vault PKI alternative? Vault PKI is an engine inside Vault that can manage certificates, but not a full-scale certificate management product: it issues certificates, but doesn't handle discovery, renewal, alerts, and delivery without custom logic and workarounds. Since Vault 2.0, Enterprise can also request certificates from public CAs over ACME, but CAs that don't speak ACME, like AD CS or AWS Private CA, stay out of reach, so it can't be the single source of truth for all your certificates without significant overhead. Infisical Certificate Management covers the full lifecycle, from any CA. ### Is HashiCorp Vault still open source? It used to be, but no longer is. Vault moved to the Business Source License in August 2023, which restricts competing use. Infisical's core is open source under the MIT license. ### What does IBM's acquisition mean for HashiCorp Vault? IBM closed its acquisition of HashiCorp in February 2025. Vault now ships on IBM's support cycles, and IBM has since retired the lower-priced product HCP Vault Secrets and HCP Vault Dedicated's Starter tier, leaving the limited Development tier as the cheapest option. Roadmap, packaging, and pricing now follow IBM. In practice, some users complain about price increases, slowing development, and slower support after the IBM acquisition. ### How is Vault priced compared with Infisical? Vault Enterprise is quote-based, and HCP Vault Dedicated charges per client plus cluster hours, where every synced secret and ACME certificate identifier counts as a client. Infisical prices per identity, with no charge per secret or certificate, and has a free tier. Vault's real cost is often not in the license though, but in the operating expenses, specialized engineers, and infrastructure costs. Docs: [Estimate your Vault cost of ownership](https://infisical.com/vault-tco-calculator). ### Is HashiCorp Vault hard to run? Vault takes specialist knowledge to run, often a dedicated team. Teams design and operate the cluster and its storage, handle unsealing, write policies in Vault's own language for every app, and build the rotation, syncs, and certificate monitoring Vault leaves to plugins and scripts. Infisical runs as one app with a dashboard the whole team uses, or Infisical Cloud runs it for you. ### How do I migrate from Vault to Infisical? Infisical has an official, built-in migration from Vault, documented step by step. Connect Vault once with a read-only policy, then import secrets, Kubernetes auth roles, Kubernetes secrets engine roles, and policies from inside Infisical, or bulk-import every mount at once. Move one application at a time, and sync secrets back into Vault for apps that haven't moved yet. Docs: [Read the Vault migration guide](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/external-migrations/vault). ## Choosing between Infisical and Vault ### What is the best open-source alternative to HashiCorp Vault? Infisical is an open-source Vault alternative under the MIT license, self-hosted on PostgreSQL and Redis or used as Infisical Cloud. It covers secrets, dynamic secrets, rotation, certificates, and encryption, with access requests, approvals, and syncs built in. OpenBao, the community fork of Vault, is the other open-source option, and runs much like Vault. Docs: [Self-hosting overview](https://infisical.com/docs/self-hosting/overview). ### Is there a Vault alternative that doesn't need unsealing? Infisical needs no unsealing. It starts like any other app, with its data encrypted by a root key from an environment variable or an HSM, so there are no key shares to collect after a restart. Every Vault node starts sealed and needs key shares or an auto-unseal setup. Docs: [KMS](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/kms/overview). ### Which is easier to run, Infisical or Vault? Infisical is easier to run, as one app on PostgreSQL and Redis, backed up like any database. A Vault cluster needs unsealing, a storage backend with its own quorum and snapshots, audit devices that must stay writable, and node-by-node upgrades, which in practice means engineers who specialize in it. Docs: [Self-hosting overview](https://infisical.com/docs/self-hosting/overview). ### What is the best HashiCorp Vault alternative for Kubernetes? Infisical runs on Kubernetes with the official Helm chart and delivers secrets to workloads through its operator, a CSI provider, or an agent injector. The operator syncs secrets into Kubernetes Secrets and reloads deployments when values change, and Kubernetes service accounts authenticate as machine identities. Docs: [Kubernetes operator](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/platforms/kubernetes/overview), [Kubernetes with Helm](https://infisical.com/docs/self-hosting/deployment-options/kubernetes-helm). ### Can Infisical replace Vault for developers, not just platform teams? Yes. Developers see each project's environments side by side in the dashboard, pull secrets into local runs with the Infisical CLI, and request temporary access to production themselves. In Vault, developers usually depend on a platform team for paths, policies, and tokens. Docs: [CLI usage](https://infisical.com/docs/cli/usage), [Access requests](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/access-controls/access-requests). ### Does Infisical support dynamic secrets like Vault? Yes. Infisical issues short-lived credentials on demand for 30+ targets, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, AWS IAM, GCP IAM, Azure Entra ID, Kubernetes, and SSH, and revokes them when their lease ends. Docs: [Dynamic secrets](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/dynamic-secrets/overview). ### Can Infisical replace Vault's PKI engine? Yes. Infisical runs private CA hierarchies, enrolls over ACME, EST, and SCEP, and also discovers, renews, and syncs certificates and alerts before they expire, which Vault's PKI engine leaves to you. Docs: [Certificate Management overview](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/overview). ### Can Infisical replace Vault's Transit engine? Yes. Infisical KMS encrypts, decrypts, and signs data through an API, so keys stay out of application code, and also serves KMIP for databases and storage systems. Docs: [KMS](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/kms/overview), [KMIP](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/kms/kmip). ### Can Infisical and Vault run side by side during a migration? Yes. Infisical imports from Vault and syncs changes back into it, so applications that still read from Vault keep working while you move them one at a time. Docs: [HashiCorp Vault sync](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/secret-syncs/hashicorp-vault). ## Moving from Vault to Infisical ### How do I import secrets from Vault into Infisical? Create a read-only Vault policy for the import, add a HashiCorp Vault app connection in Infisical with a token or AppRole that uses it, then import KV v1 or KV v2 secrets into an environment and folder. Repeat per namespace and path. Docs: [Migrating from Vault](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/external-migrations/vault). ### Can Infisical import Vault policies? Yes. The Vault migration translates Vault policies into Infisical project roles, Kubernetes auth configurations into machine identities, and Kubernetes secrets engine roles into dynamic secrets. Docs: [Migrating from Vault](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/external-migrations/vault). ### How do I sync Infisical secrets back into Vault? Add a HashiCorp Vault secret sync in the project's Integrations tab, choose the environment and folder to read from, and the Vault mount and path to write to. Infisical then keeps that path updated on every change. Docs: [HashiCorp Vault sync](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/secret-syncs/hashicorp-vault). ### How do I replace Vault Agent with Infisical? Use the Infisical Agent, which authenticates as a machine identity and renders secrets into files from templates, and checks for changes on a polling interval to re-render them. For Kubernetes, the Infisical operator or agent injector replaces the Vault Agent Injector. Docs: [Infisical Agent](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/platforms/infisical-agent), [Agent injector](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/platforms/kubernetes-injector). ### What replaces Vault's Kubernetes auth method in Infisical? Kubernetes Auth for machine identities. Pods authenticate with their service account token, and Infisical checks it against the cluster's TokenReview API, the same model as Vault's Kubernetes auth method. Docs: [Kubernetes Auth](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/identities/kubernetes-auth). ### How do I move certificates from Vault PKI to Infisical? Create an intermediate CA in Infisical, sign its CSR with your Vault root, and import the signed certificate, so new certificates chain to the root clients already trust. Then point ACME clients at Infisical and keep Vault's CRL published until its last certificate expires. Docs: [Private CA](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/pki/ca/private-ca). ## Working with secrets in Infisical ### How do I rotate a PostgreSQL password with Infisical? Create a PostgreSQL connection, then add a secret rotation from the project dashboard with two database users, a rotation interval in days, and the secret names to map the credentials to. Infisical alternates the two users, so the previous password stays valid while apps pick up the new one. Docs: [PostgreSQL rotation](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secret-rotation/postgres-credentials). ### How does an application authenticate to Infisical? As a machine identity. It logs in with an auth method that fits where it runs, such as Universal Auth, Kubernetes, AWS, Azure, GCP, or OIDC, and gets a short-lived access token. Docs: [Machine identities](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/identities/machine-identities). ### How do I inject Infisical secrets into a local process? Run your command with infisical run, for example infisical run --env=dev -- npm run dev, and the CLI injects the environment's secrets as environment variables. Docs: [CLI usage](https://infisical.com/docs/cli/usage). ### How do I push Infisical secrets to AWS Secrets Manager? Add an AWS Secrets Manager secret sync from the project's Integrations tab, choose the source environment and folder, and Infisical keeps the destination updated on every change. Docs: [AWS Secrets Manager sync](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/secret-syncs/aws-secrets-manager). ### How do I require approval before a production secret changes? Create a change policy on the production environment with its approvers and required approval count. Edits then become change requests that approvers review before they apply, with notifications in Slack or Microsoft Teams. Docs: [Approval workflows](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secrets-mgmt/concepts/approval-workflows). ### Is there a Terraform provider for Infisical? Yes. The Infisical Terraform provider fetches secrets into Terraform, including as ephemeral resources that stay out of state, and manages Infisical resources as code. Docs: [Terraform](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/frameworks/terraform). ### Can an AI coding agent read Infisical's docs directly? Yes. Connect Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or another agent to Infisical's docs MCP server at https://infisical.com/docs/mcp and it can look up current instructions while it works. Docs: [Build with AI tools](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/getting-started/set-up-with-ai). ## License, ownership, and cost ### Who owns HashiCorp Vault now? IBM. It closed its acquisition of HashiCorp in February 2025, Vault now ships as IBM Vault on IBM's support cycles, and IBM has since retired HCP Vault Secrets and HCP Vault Dedicated's Starter tier. ### How much does Infisical cost? Infisical is free to start, on Infisical Cloud or self-hosted. Paid plans are priced per identity, with no charge per secret or certificate. Docs: [Pricing](https://infisical.com/pricing). ### How is HashiCorp Vault priced? Vault Enterprise is sold by quote. HCP Vault Dedicated bills per client plus cluster hours, and every synced secret and ACME certificate identifier counts as a client. Community Edition is free but leaves out Enterprise features such as SAML, replication, and Secrets Sync. Docs: [Vault TCO calculator](https://infisical.com/vault-tco-calculator). ## Start managing secrets, then add certificates, privileged access, KMS, or agent access. - **[Secrets Management](https://infisical.com/platform/secrets-management)**: Store, rotate, and deliver secrets. - **[Certificate Management](https://infisical.com/platform/certificate-management)**: Issue, renew, and track every certificate. - **[Privileged Access Management](https://infisical.com/platform/pam)**: Time-bound access without shared credentials. - **[KMS](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/kms/overview)**: Encrypt and sign data through an API. - **[Agent Vault](https://infisical.com/platform/agent-vault)**: Give AI agents access without handing them credentials. ## How to migrate from HashiCorp Vault to Infisical Infisical has a [documented migration](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/external-migrations/vault) from Vault: Connect the apps, then move one application at a time. ### 1. Connect Vault Create a policy in Vault and an app connection in Infisical. In Vault, create a policy that grants Infisical read-only access to your secrets, policies, and auth configuration. In Infisical, add a HashiCorp Vault app connection, at project or organization level, that authenticates with a token or AppRole using that policy. The Vault namespace isn't part of the connection: you pick it each time you import, and you can add one connection per Vault instance. Docs: [Migrating from Vault](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/external-migrations/vault), [HashiCorp Vault app connection](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/app-connections/hashicorp-vault). ### 2. Import one application Import a first, non-critical application's secrets into its project from the Infisical dashboard. Create a project for the application. In each of its environments, choose Add from HashiCorp Vault next to Add Secret, then pick the connection, namespace, secrets engine, and up to 25 paths. KV v1 and KV v2 are supported. Preserve folder structure turns each Vault path into a folder, and a preview shows where every secret lands. Docs: [Migrating KV secrets](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/external-migrations/vault). ### 3. Move its access Turn its Vault policies into project roles and give its workloads machine identities. On a project role, Add from HashiCorp Vault translates a Vault policy's read, list, create, update, and delete capabilities into Infisical permissions. The translation is best-effort, so review the result. Give each workload a machine identity with the auth method that fits where it runs. For Kubernetes, Load from Vault copies a Vault Kubernetes role's allowed service accounts, namespaces, and TTLs, and Kubernetes secrets engine roles load into Kubernetes dynamic secrets the same way. Docs: [Role-based access controls](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/access-controls/role-based-access-controls), [Machine identities](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/identities/machine-identities), [Kubernetes dynamic secrets](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/dynamic-secrets/kubernetes). ### 4. Switch it over Point the application at Infisical with the CLI, an SDK, or the Kubernetes Operator. A sync back into Vault keeps everything else working. Replace the application's Vault client or Vault Agent with the Infisical CLI, an SDK, the Infisical Agent, or the Kubernetes Operator. For anything that still reads from Vault, a HashiCorp Vault secret sync writes changes made in Infisical back to the Vault path it reads. Docs: [SDKs](https://infisical.com/docs/sdks/overview), [Kubernetes operator](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/platforms/kubernetes/overview), [HashiCorp Vault sync](https://infisical.com/docs/integrations/secret-syncs/hashicorp-vault). ### 5. Repeat, then retire Vault Move the remaining applications the same way, or bulk-import the rest at once. Then decommission Vault. Repeat the same steps for each remaining application. To move every remaining secret at once, an organization admin can run the bulk import under Integrations, External Migrations, mapping each KV mount or each namespace to a project, through a gateway if Vault is private. Bulk import covers KV secrets only. When the audit logs show nothing reading from Vault, delete the syncs and decommission the cluster. Docs: [Bulk import from Vault](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/external-migrations/vault), [Audit logs](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/audit-logs). Our team can help you plan and run the migration: [talk to an expert](https://infisical.com/talk-to-us). Step-by-step guide: [Migrating from HashiCorp Vault](https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/external-migrations/vault) ## Get started - Start free: https://app.infisical.com/signup - Get started with secrets: https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/getting-started/choose-a-product/secrets-management/overview - Add your secrets and deliver them: https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/secrets-mgmt/quick-starts/deliver-first-secret - Migrate from Vault: https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/platform/external-migrations/vault - Self-host Infisical: https://infisical.com/docs/self-hosting/overview - Connect an AI agent to the docs: https://infisical.com/docs/documentation/getting-started/set-up-with-ai - Talk to an expert: https://infisical.com/talk-to-us - All comparisons: https://infisical.com/compare.md
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