Ghosts know that secrets are critical.
You can’t let them sit or travel in plain text.
Ansible Vault is the blade of the Operator.
Secure Container Files – File-level Encryption
Keep it simple.
Encrypt entire files.
Don’t put secrets in git.
Some argue otherwise. Don’t.
Backup? Upload them to a password vault.
History? Version them inside your vault.
Don’t have any? Use Passbolt.
Stay local. Stay safe. No excuses.
Encrypt a YAML var file:
ansible-vault encrypt file.yml
It prompts for a password.
Then it hides your secrets.
Encrypted Values – Plain Text Files
More steps.
More layers.
More complexity.
You can encrypt YAML values.
Most use it for versioning files in git.
Are you ready for exposure?
No? Use a password vault.
Upload the files. Version the history.
Encrypt a variable:
ansible-vault encrypt_string --name "root_password"
You’ll be prompted for:
- The vault password
- The secret to encrypt
Then:
Copy.
Paste.
Store in your variable file.
Final Whispers
Use either solution, but
- Never upload secret files to public git.
- Never leave the decryption password files world-readable.
- Keep it simple.
- Keep it secure.
If possible – fetch secrets directly from your password vault.
Tom's IT Cafe 