HashiCorp Vault Associate 003 Certification
Master HashiCorp Vault for the updated Associate certification exam (003). This hands-on course covers secrets management fundamentals, authentication methods, policies, dynamic secrets, lease management, encryption as a service, Vault Agent, and the new Vault Secrets Operator. Built for Vault 1.18.3 with production-ready patterns.
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
13 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
Understand HashiCorp Vault architecture, seal/unseal mechanics, and storage backends
Install and configure Vault in development and production environments
Configure authentication methods for humans and machines (AppRole, Kubernetes, AWS)
Write and apply Vault policies with proper authorization controls
Manage token lifecycle including TTL, renewal, and revocation
Work with KV secrets engine versions 1 and 2
Configure dynamic secrets with AWS secrets engine
Master lease management operations (lookup, renew, revoke)
Use Transit secrets engine for encryption as a service
Implement Vault Agent with auto-auth and templates
Deploy Vault Secrets Operator for Kubernetes secret injection
Understand HCP Vault Dedicated vs self-managed deployment options
Prepare comprehensively for the Vault Associate 003 certification exam
What You'll Build
Real portfolio artifacts you can put on your GitHub and show hiring managers.
Production Vault cluster with Raft storage and AWS KMS auto-unseal
Deploy a production-ready Vault cluster using Integrated Storage (Raft), configure AWS KMS for automatic unsealing, and set up AppRole and Kubernetes authentication methods. Demonstrates the exact patterns used by platform teams running Vault in production.
Dynamic AWS credentials pipeline
Configure the AWS secrets engine to generate short-lived IAM credentials on demand with automatic lease management and revocation. A concrete demonstration of secrets management best practices that eliminates static credential sprawl.
Vault Secrets Operator integration on Kubernetes
Deploy the Vault Secrets Operator and configure it to inject secrets directly into Kubernetes pods as native Kubernetes secrets. Shows the GitOps-friendly approach to Vault-Kubernetes integration that is becoming the standard for modern platform teams.
Course Curriculum
SECTION 1 – GETTING STARTED WITH VAULT
Introduction to HashiCorp Vault, CLI installation, environment variables, and basic operations
- •Welcome to Vault Associate Certification
- •Community
- •What is HashiCorp Vault?
- •Secrets Management Challenges
- •Vault Environment Variables Reference
- •Vault CLI BasicsLab
- •Vault CLI — Authentication and OutputLab
- •Getting Started with VaultQuiz
SECTION 2 – VAULT ARCHITECTURE FUNDAMENTALS
Deep dive into Vault's internal architecture, seal/unseal mechanics, and high availability patterns
- •Vault Architecture Internals
- •Seal and Unseal Mechanics
- •High Availability with Integrated Storage (Raft)
- •Vault Architecture FundamentalsQuiz
SECTION 3 – PRODUCTION VAULT DEPLOYMENT
Configure production Vault servers with Integrated Storage, auto-unseal, and understand HCP Vault
- •Vault Configuration File Deep Dive
- •Storage Backends
- •Auto-Unseal Options
- •HCP Vault Dedicated
- •Production Vault Server with Raft and Auto-UnsealLab
- •Production Vault DeploymentQuiz
SECTION 4 – AUTHENTICATION METHODS
Configure authentication for humans and machines including AppRole, Kubernetes, and identity entities
- •Authentication Methods Overview
- •Human vs Machine Authentication
- •AppRole Authentication
- •Kubernetes Authentication
- •Identity Entities and Groups
- •Authentication Methods and Identity EntitiesLab
- •Authentication MethodsQuiz
SECTION 5 – POLICIES AND AUTHORIZATION
Write Vault policies with proper syntax, wildcards, and templating for fine-grained access control
- •Policy Syntax and Capabilities
- •Templated Policies
- •Policy Selection by Requirements
- •Policy Creation and ManagementLab
- •Policies and AuthorizationQuiz
SECTION 6 – TOKEN MANAGEMENT
Master token types, lifecycle, TTL management, token operations, and cubbyhole secrets engine
- •Token Types and Lifecycle
- •Token Operations and Management
- •Token-Scoped Storage: Cubbyhole Secrets Engine
- •Token Operations and ManagementLab
- •Token ManagementQuiz
SECTION 7 – STATIC SECRETS - KV ENGINE
Work with KV secrets engine v1 and v2, versioning, metadata, and check-and-set operations
- •Secrets Engine Operations
- •KV Secrets Engine
- •KV Secrets Engine and VersioningLab
- •Static Secrets and KV EngineQuiz
SECTION 8 – DYNAMIC SECRETS AND LEASES
Configure dynamic secrets with AWS, understand lease lifecycle, and master lease management operations
- •Dynamic Secrets Concepts
- •Lease Management
- •AWS Secrets Engine
- •AWS Dynamic and Static CredentialsLab
- •Lease Management OperationsLab
- •Database Secrets Engine
- •Database Secrets Engine - Dynamic PostgreSQL CredentialsLab
- •Dynamic Secrets and LeasesQuiz
SECTION 9 – ENCRYPTION AS A SERVICE
Use Transit secrets engine for encryption, decryption, key rotation, and data rewrap
- •Transit Secrets Engine
- •Transit Encryption LabLab
- •Encryption as a ServiceQuiz
SECTION 10 – SECRET DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS
Implement Vault Agent, templates, response wrapping, and Vault Secrets Operator for Kubernetes
- •Vault Agent and Vault Proxy Overview
- •Vault Agent: Templates and Configuration
- •Response Wrapping and Token Delivery
- •Vault Secrets Operator (VSO)
- •Vault Agent and TemplatesLab
- •Vault Secrets Operator for KubernetesLab
- •Secret Distribution PatternsQuiz
SECTION 11 – ENTERPRISE AND MANAGED FEATURES
Understand DR and Performance Replication, Secrets Sync, and enterprise capabilities
- •Vault Replication and High Availability
- •Enterprise Capabilities and Advanced Features
- •Enterprise and Managed FeaturesQuiz
SECTION 12 – EXAM PREPARATION
Review exam objectives, practice UI navigation, and prepare for the Vault Associate 003 certification
- •Vault Associate 003 Exam Overview and Objectives
- •Vault UI Navigation and Best Practices
- •Exam Study Tips and Strategies
- •Course Completion and Next Steps
- •Vault Associate Practice Exam 1Quiz
- •Vault Associate Practice Exam 2Quiz
- •Vault Associate Practice Exam 3Quiz
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
Is this course enough to pass the Vault Associate 003 exam?
Yes. The course is fully aligned with the official Vault Associate 003 exam objectives published by HashiCorp. It covers every domain: Vault architecture, authentication methods, policies, token management, KV and dynamic secrets, lease management, Transit encryption, Vault Agent, Vault Secrets Operator, and HCP Vault. The three included practice exams mirror the difficulty and format of the real test. Sam is a HashiCorp Authorized Instructor for Vault, so the exam preparation guidance comes from direct experience with the curriculum.
How long does this course realistically take?
Most students finish in 4-6 weeks studying 8-10 hours per week. The course is rated at 20 hours of video-equivalent content, but the hands-on labs typically double that — the lab time is where the real learning happens. If you're preparing for the exam on a deadline, an intensive 2-week push of 15-20 hours per week is also achievable.
What if I have no prior Vault experience?
The course starts from the very beginning — what Vault is, why secrets management matters, and how to install and run Vault for the first time. The only prerequisites are basic command line comfort and a general understanding of cloud computing. No prior Vault experience is required.
Are the labs current with the latest Vault version?
Yes. The course was built on Vault 1.18.3 and the labs are updated whenever HashiCorp releases breaking changes. All labs run in the TeKanAid academy lab system — no local install required. The lab environments are provisioned fresh for each session so you always get a clean, working environment.
Do I need a cloud account to follow along?
No. All labs run in the TeKanAid academy lab system which provisions cloud resources automatically. The AWS dynamic secrets labs use a real AWS environment that is provisioned and cleaned up by the platform. You do not need your own AWS account or credit card for the labs.
What happens when I cancel my subscription?
You lose access to the labs and any future content updates. Your progress and quiz scores are saved so you can pick up where you left off if you resubscribe. If you want permanent access without a subscription, the Lifetime plan is available at academy.tekanaid.com.
What is the difference between Pro and Premium for this course?
Pro gives you access to all course lessons, quizzes, and the practice exams. Premium adds hands-on labs in the TeKanAid academy lab system — the 13 interactive labs where you practice real Vault operations. The labs are where the exam preparation goes from theoretical to practical. If you are serious about passing the exam, Premium is the right choice.
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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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