{
 "categories": [
  "identity",
  "enterprise"
 ],
 "deployment": "hybrid",
 "evidence": [
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "homepage",
   "note": "HashiCorp Developer presents Vault as the product that stores and controls tokens, passwords, certificates, and encryption keys through a UI, CLI, or HTTP API, with HCP Vault Dedicated as a hosted path.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "deployment",
   "note": "The Vault developer home links self-hosted install and operations paths and HCP Vault Dedicated, so the product is hybrid.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "license",
   "note": "Vault 1.15.0 or later is Business Source License 1.1. Licensor is IBM Corp. Change license is MPL 2.0 after four years. That is not OSI open source.",
   "source": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hashicorp/vault/main/LICENSE",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "license",
   "note": "Vault Enterprise uses commercial license keys that control feature availability and start, restart, and unseal after expiration. HCP Vault Dedicated is licensed separately from those keys.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/license",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "platforms",
   "note": "The Vault install page lists operating systems macOS, Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD, with brew, apt, yum, dnf, and binary downloads. The product also has a web UI.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/install",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.api.exists",
   "note": "HashiCorp documents a Vault HTTP API that uses REST-like HTTP verbs and states every aspect of Vault can be controlled through it. All routes are prefixed with /v1/.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.api.kinds[0]",
   "note": "The API is documented as REST-like HTTP verbs over TLS, with JSON request and response bodies.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.api.auth[0]",
   "note": "After unseal, a client token must be sent as the X-Vault-Token HTTP header. Curl examples use that header.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.api.auth[1]",
   "note": "The same client token may be sent as the Authorization HTTP header using the Bearer scheme.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.api.coverage",
   "note": "HashiCorp states the HTTP API gives full access and that every aspect of Vault can be controlled. Backwards compatibility is not yet promised even under the v1 prefix.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.sdk.exists",
   "note": "HashiCorp lists officially maintained API client libraries separately from community libraries.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs/libraries",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.sdk.languages[0]",
   "note": "The official Go client is installed with go get github.com/hashicorp/vault/api.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs/libraries",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.sdk.languages[1]",
   "note": "The official Ruby client is the vault gem (gem install vault).",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs/libraries",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.mcp.first_party",
   "note": "HashiCorp Developer documents the Vault MCP Server as a first-party Beta integration for managing secrets and mounts, using stdio and StreamableHTTP.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/ai/mcp-server",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.cli.exists",
   "note": "The vault CLI is a static binary that wraps the Vault API. Usage is vault <command>, with vault login or VAULT_TOKEN required for authenticated commands.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/commands",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.extensibility.scripting[0]",
   "note": "Vault extends through auth, secret, and database plugins that mount on unique paths. Built-in and external plugins are documented.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/plugins",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.data_access.export[0]",
   "note": "Typical Vault API request and response data is JSON. KV read examples return JSON secret bodies.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.data_access.import[0]",
   "note": "KV write examples POST JSON bodies such as {\"data\":{\"value\":\"bar\"}} to create or update secrets.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "modalities.agent_docs.llms_txt",
   "note": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/llms.txt returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-03.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/llms.txt",
   "tier": "scraped"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "verdict.scores.api",
   "note": "The HTTP API is documented as the complete control plane with token auth, JSON interchange, status codes, and official Go and Ruby clients. Unpromised v1 compatibility and edition-gated Enterprise paths keep it in the broad-production tier rather than 9-10.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "verdict.scores.mcp",
   "note": "The official server has useful KV and PKI tools over stdio and StreamableHTTP, but the page marks it Beta and strongly discourages production use.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/ai/mcp-server",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "verdict.scores.cli",
   "note": "The official CLI maps read/write/delete/list to HTTP verbs, accepts VAULT_TOKEN or vault login, and supports structured json/yaml output for non-interactive use. Not every API endpoint has a dedicated command.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/commands",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "freshness.watch[0].url",
   "note": "Opened HashiCorp's current Vault MCP overview. It is Beta, uses stdio and StreamableHTTP, lists KV and PKI tools, and may expose Vault secrets to MCP clients.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/ai/mcp-server",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "freshness.watch[1].url",
   "note": "Opened hashicorp/vault-mcp-server. Not archived. Latest push 2026-08-27. MPL-2.0. README documents stdio and HTTP transports, VAULT_TOKEN auth, and KV plus PKI tools.",
   "source": "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault-mcp-server",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "freshness.watch[2].url",
   "note": "Opened and verified as the current Vault HTTP API documentation, including X-Vault-Token and Bearer auth.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-03",
   "fact": "freshness.watch[3].url",
   "note": "Opened and verified as the current Vault CLI usage page, including token auth and output formats.",
   "source": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/commands",
   "tier": "declared"
  }
 ],
 "freshness": {
  "last_verified": "2026-09-03",
  "volatility": "high",
  "watch": [
   {
    "type": "mcp",
    "url": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/ai/mcp-server"
   },
   {
    "type": "repo",
    "url": "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault-mcp-server"
   },
   {
    "type": "docs",
    "url": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs"
   },
   {
    "type": "docs",
    "url": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/commands"
   }
  ]
 },
 "homepage": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault",
 "id": "hashicorp-vault",
 "license": "commercial",
 "modalities": {
  "agent_docs": {
   "llms_txt": false
  },
  "api": {
   "auth": [
    "vault-token",
    "bearer"
   ],
   "coverage": "full",
   "docs": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/api-docs",
   "exists": true,
   "kinds": [
    "rest"
   ]
  },
  "cli": {
   "exists": true
  },
  "computer_use": {
   "issues": [],
   "viability": "unknown"
  },
  "data_access": {
   "export": [
    "json"
   ],
   "import": [
    "json"
   ]
  },
  "extensibility": {
   "scripting": [
    "plugins"
   ],
   "webhooks": "unknown"
  },
  "integrations": {
   "make": "unknown",
   "n8n": "unknown",
   "power_automate": "unknown",
   "zapier": "unknown"
  },
  "mcp": {
   "first_party": true,
   "third_party": [],
   "verdict": "official"
  },
  "rpa": {
   "drivability": "unknown",
   "notes": "No repeatable UI probe was run. The Vault HTTP API, official vault CLI, and Vault MCP Server cover secrets, mounts, and PKI work without browser control.\n",
   "ui_stack": [
    "web-dom"
   ],
   "vendor_support": []
  },
  "sdk": {
   "exists": true,
   "languages": [
    "go",
    "ruby"
   ],
   "official": true
  }
 },
 "name": "HashiCorp Vault",
 "platforms": [
  "windows",
  "macos",
  "linux",
  "web"
 ],
 "related": {
  "alternatives": [
   "hashicorp-terraform",
   "okta",
   "auth0"
  ],
  "our_products": []
 },
 "schema_version": 1,
 "score_version": 1,
 "status": "active",
 "vendor": "HashiCorp",
 "verdict": {
  "best_path": "api",
  "scores": {
   "api": 8,
   "cli": 8,
   "computer_use": null,
   "integrations": null,
   "mcp": 6,
   "overall": 8,
   "rpa": null
  },
  "summary": "HashiCorp Vault is automatable today through its HTTP API. This record is the Vault secrets platform, including self-hosted Vault and HCP Vault Dedicated. It is not Terraform. The v1 API uses REST-like HTTP verbs under /v1/ and HashiCorp states it can control every aspect of Vault. After unseal, callers send a client token as X-Vault-Token or as Authorization Bearer. JSON request and response bodies are the documented interchange. Official clients are github.com/hashicorp/vault/api for Go and the vault Ruby gem; other language libraries on the libraries page are community-maintained. The vault CLI is a static binary that wraps the same API, with vault login or VAULT_TOKEN, stdin and @file input, and -format json|yaml|table|jsonx. The first-party Vault MCP Server (hashicorp/vault-mcp-server) speaks stdio and StreamableHTTP and exposes KV mount/secret tools plus PKI enable/issue/issuer/role tools, authenticated with a Vault token. HashiCorp marks that server Beta and strongly discourages production use; the repo limits it to trusted local networks. Opened Developer pages brand the product IBM Vault in places; the vendor on this record remains HashiCorp. Vault 1.15 and later is Business Source License 1.1, and Vault Enterprise uses separate commercial license keys. iPaaS connectors were not opened. Computer-use viability is unassessed. API and CLI both score 8; API is the best path because HashiCorp states the HTTP API is the complete control plane and the CLI itself consumes it. MCP scores 6 because it is a vendor Beta preview.\n"
 }
}