HashiCorp Vault 202 for Operators
In this course, you'll learn everything you need to know to become a Vault expert. From the basics of secrets management to advanced topics like multi-datacenter replication and disaster recovery, we've got you covered.
Why This Course is Different
Get everything you need to master platform engineering and advance your career
Certificate of Completion
Earn a certificate while gaining real-world skills that go beyond traditional certification prep
Hands-on Labs
0 practical labs with real-world scenarios in pre-configured cloud environments
Expert-Led
Learn from Sam Gabrail, Former HashiCorp Sr. Solutions Engineer with 15+ years experience
Community Support
Join our community where members help each other and collaborate on learning
What You'll Master
Deploy and operate production-ready Vault clusters
Implement advanced authentication and authorization
Configure monitoring and backup strategies
Set up enterprise replication and disaster recovery
Integrate Vault with Kubernetes and Terraform
Troubleshoot common operational issues
What You'll Build
Real portfolio artifacts you can put on your GitHub and show hiring managers.
Production Vault cluster with monitoring, backup, and DR configuration
Deploy a production Vault cluster with comprehensive monitoring via Prometheus and Grafana, automated backup procedures, and disaster recovery configuration. Demonstrates the operational maturity expected of a Vault Administrator in an enterprise environment.
Vault-Terraform integration for infrastructure secrets management
Integrate HashiCorp Vault with Terraform to manage infrastructure secrets dynamically — eliminating static credentials from Terraform state files and CI/CD pipelines. A foundational pattern for teams running Vault and Terraform together in production.
Course Curriculum
SECTION 1 – COURSE INTRODUCTION
Learn about course introduction
- •Important Note on Lab Environments
- •Intro
- •Code Repository
- •Community
- •env zero Setup
- •What we will build
SECTION 2 – TERRAFORM CRASH COURSE
Learn about terraform crash course
- •Intro
- •Terraform Overview
- •01-Basic-Commands
- •02-Lock-and-State-Files
- •03-Variables
- •04-Variables-Continued
- •05-AWS-Setup-and-Outputs
- •06-Data-Blocks
- •07-Another-Provider
- •08-Modules
- •09-A-Web-Server
SECTION 3 – VAULT CRASH COURSE
Learn about vault crash course
- •Intro
- •What is HashiCorp Vault
- •Vault Use Cases
- •Basic Vault CLI Commands
- •Vault Server Modes
- •Vault Architecture Internals
- •Vault Seal and Unseal
- •The Configuration File
- •Run a Production Vault Server Lab
- •Authentication Methods Overview
- •Types of Auth Methods
- •Vault Policies Overview
- •Vault Tokens Overview
- •Secrets Engines Overview
- •Replication Design with DR and PR
- •The Vault Agent Overview
- •Vault Crash Course AssessmentQuiz
SECTION 4 – INSTALL A PRODUCTION READY VAULT OSS CLUSTER
Learn about install a production ready vault oss cluster
- •Vault with Integrated Storage Overview
- •Reference Architecture for Integrated Storage
- •Deploy a Production OSS Cluster
- •Deployment Walk-through
- •Initialize the Vault Cluster
- •Access via SSM
- •Terraform Walk-Through
- •Terraform Walk-Through
- •Terraform Walk-Through
- •Re-Deploy the Cluster with Private CAs
- •Deploy with no Bastion Host
- •Deploy in Air-Gapped
- •I need your help
SECTION 5 – AUTOMATIC BACKUPS
Learn about automatic backups
- •Raft Snapshots
- •The Automated Backup Process
- •Deploy the Backup Resources
- •Terraform Walk-Through
- •Restoring Vault from a Snapshot
- •What does the snapshot restore?
SECTION 6 – MONITORING
Learn about monitoring
- •Vault Telemetry and Logs
- •Deploy Vault Monitoring
- •Using Datadog
- •Deployment Walk-through
- •Monitoring AssessmentQuiz
SECTION 7 – BACKEND MIGRATION AND UPGRADES
Learn about backend migration and upgrades
- •Consul Backend Overview
- •Backend Migration Process
- •Rekey Vault and Rotate Encryption Keys
- •Regenerate a Root Token
- •Upgrading a Vault HA Cluster
SECTION 8 – MANAGING NAMESPACES
Learn about managing namespaces
- •Namespaces Overview
- •Deploy an Enterprise Vault Cluster
- •Namespaces in Action
- •Namespaces Best Practices
SECTION 9 – REPLICATION
Learn about replication
- •High Availability Architecture in Vault Enterprise
- •DR and PR Whiteboard
- •Deploy a Highly Available Enterprise Cluster across Regions
- •Terraform Code Walk-Through
- •Automating DNS Failover
- •Failover Demo
- •Replication AssessmentQuiz
SECTION 10 – THE TERRAFORM VAULT PROVIDER
Learn about the terraform vault provider
- •Provider Overview
- •Using the Provider for Vault Configurations
- •Don-t Use the Provider for Secrets
SECTION 11 – DEPLOYING VAULT IN KUBERNETES
Learn about deploying vault in kubernetes
- •Use Terraform to Deploy an EKS Cluster with Vault
- •Get Vault Started
- •Test Vault HA in K8s
- •Backup and Restore Vault in K8s
- •Monitoring Vault in K8s
- •Upgrading Vault in K8s
SECTION 12 – ADVANCED VAULT AUTHENTICATION TOPICS
Learn about advanced vault authentication topics
- •Section 12 Authentication Review
- •AD LDAP Auth Method
- •MFA
- •OIDC Auth Method
- •The Secret Zero Problem
- •AWS SSM Setup
- •AWS SSM Agent in a Linux Machine
- •AWS SSM Agent in a Windows Machine
- •AWS SSM Agent Config Walk through
- •Advanced Vault Authentication Topics AssessmentQuiz
SECTION 13 – BONUS
Learn about bonus
- •Vault OSS to Enterprise Migration
- •Day 2 Operations Lesson 1
- •Day 2 Operations Lesson 2
- •Gotchas and Caveats
- •Troubleshooting Techniques
SECTION 14 – CLOSING REMARKS AND NEXT STEPS
Learn about closing remarks and next steps
- •Closing Remarks
- •I need your help
Course Features
Hands-on Labs
Lots of hands-on labs to learn by doing
Join our Community
Community support to ask questions and collaborate
Test Your Knowledge
Quizzes to help you grasp the material well
Frequently Asked Questions
How do the hands-on labs work in this course?
Vault 202 uses a GitHub Codespaces delivery model instead of the TeKanAid academy lab system. Each section comes with a GitHub repository that you fork and open in GitHub Codespaces — a fully configured cloud development environment that runs in your browser. Sam provides recorded video walkthroughs demonstrating every lab exercise. No local install is required and the GitHub Codespaces free tier is sufficient for all labs.
Is this course appropriate for Vault beginners?
No. Vault 202 is an advanced course designed for operators who already understand Vault fundamentals. You should be comfortable with Vault architecture, authentication methods, policies, and secrets engines before starting. Vault Associate 003 is the right starting point if you are new to Vault.
How long does this course realistically take?
Vault 202 is a 96-lesson course rated at 30 hours of content. Most students take 8-12 weeks at 8-10 hours per week to work through the material thoroughly. The advanced topics — multi-datacenter replication, disaster recovery, and Terraform integration — each deserve dedicated practice time beyond the video content.
Do I need enterprise Vault to follow along?
Most of the course uses open-source Vault. The replication and disaster recovery sections cover enterprise-only features, but the labs demonstrate the concepts using available tooling and recorded demonstrations for the enterprise-specific workflows. You do not need an enterprise license to take the course.
Are the labs current with the latest Vault version?
Yes. The GitHub repositories are updated when HashiCorp releases breaking changes. The Codespaces environments pin specific tool versions for reproducibility. Sam reviews and updates lab content with each major Vault release.
What happens when I cancel my subscription?
You lose access to course lessons and video walkthroughs. The GitHub repositories are public so you keep access to the lab code. Your progress is saved and you can resume if you resubscribe.
What is the difference between Pro and Premium for this course?
Since Vault 202 uses GitHub Codespaces rather than the TeKanAid lab system, the hands-on labs are available to all subscribers. Pro and Premium both include full course access. Premium adds priority support and access to the broader TeKanAid lab library for other courses.
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Hi there, I'm Sam
I'm a husband and father of two wonderful boys. I'm also very passionate 🔥 about all things technology. From when I was 10, I had a dream to become a computer 💻 engineer one day. Here I am today living the dream!
Thanks for visiting TeKanAid Academy. My goal is to teach you all things DevOps. Below are some of the things I've done over the years. I'm confident that I can help you achieve your dreams too.
- 15+ years of experience in various Information Technology fields from Telecommunications, Computer Networks, Digital Transformation, DevOps, Cybersecurity, and IoT
- President of TeKanAid Solutions Inc. building online content in the DevOps space
- Previous – Sr. Solutions Engineer at HashiCorp
View my Certifications
Terraform: Authorized HashiCorp Instructor
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HashiCorp Authorized Instructors are experienced DevOps professionals who deliver official HashiCorp training courses in person and virtually.
Issued by HashiCorp Partner Network (HPN)
Vault: Authorized HashiCorp Instructor
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HashiCorp Authorized Instructors are experienced DevOps professionals who deliver official HashiCorp training courses in person and virtually.
Issued by HashiCorp Partner Network (HPN)
HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate (002)
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Earners of the HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate certification know the basic concepts, skills, and use cases associated with open source HashiCorp Terraform.
Issued by HashiCorp
HashiCorp Certified: Vault Associate (002)
Verify my certificate
Earners of the HashiCorp Certified: Vault Associate certification know the basic concepts, skills, and use cases associated with open source HashiCorp Vault.
Issued by HashiCorp
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