OpenBao

OpenBao is an open-source secrets management and data protection platform (security, key management) hosted by the Linux Foundation and derived from the HashiCorp Vault codebase.

• Centralized storage and lifecycle management of secrets such as tokens, passwords, certificates, and encryption keys (secrets management)
• Encryption, decryption, and cryptographic operations via APIs without exposing raw keys (crypto-as-a-service)
• Fine-grained authentication, authorization, and policy control for accessing secrets and operations (identity and access management)
• Pluggable backend architecture for secret engines and authentication methods (extensibility framework)
• Enterprise-oriented deployment for secure access to infrastructure, applications, and services across environments (infrastructure security)

More About OpenBao

OpenBao is an open-source project under the Linux Foundation that provides a system for managing secrets and protecting sensitive data (security, key management) across infrastructure and application environments. It originates from the Vault codebase and preserves a compatible architecture for organizations that require an openly governed alternative with community-led development. The project targets use cases in which applications, automation workflows, and operators must access credentials and cryptographic operations through controlled, auditable interfaces rather than direct handling of raw secrets.

At its core, OpenBao offers a centralized secrets management capability (secrets management) that stores and controls access to passwords, Application Programming Interface (API) keys, certificates, database credentials, and other confidential values. Access to these secrets is mediated by authentication and authorization policies (identity and access management) that define which users, services, or machines can perform read, write, or administrative operations. The system is designed so that applications request secrets or short-lived credentials via APIs, reducing the need to hard-code or manually distribute sensitive values.

OpenBao also supports cryptographic operations through a service interface (crypto-as-a-service). Instead of distributing encryption keys to applications, enterprises can configure OpenBao to perform encryption, decryption, signing, and verification on behalf of clients. This pattern allows key material to remain under centralized control while still enabling distributed workloads to perform required cryptographic functions. The project aligns with common enterprise needs for key rotation, revocation, and auditing within regulated or security-sensitive environments.

The platform follows a pluggable architecture with separate components for secret engines and authentication methods (extensibility framework). Secret engines manage different categories of secrets or dynamic credentials, while authentication methods integrate with identity providers and machine identity systems. This modular design allows organizations to integrate OpenBao with existing infrastructure, such as cloud platforms, identity providers, or hardware-backed key storage, when compatible engines or plugins are available from the community or vendors.

In enterprise deployments, OpenBao typically runs as a clustered service with secure storage backends, Transport Layer Security (TLS) termination, and access via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) APIs or command-line tools (infrastructure security). It is positioned in the directory as a security and secrets management system used to centralize control over secrets, offer policy-based governance, and support cryptographic services for applications and automation pipelines operating across on-premises (on-prem), cloud, and hybrid environments.