---
layout: docs
page_title: Snowflake database secrets engine
description: >-
  Snowflake is one of the supported plugins for the database secrets engine.
  This plugin generates database credentials dynamically based on configured
  roles for Snowflake hosted databases.
---

> [!IMPORTANT]  
> **Documentation Update:** Product documentation, which were located in this repository under `/website`, are now located in [`hashicorp/web-unified-docs`](https://github.com/hashicorp/web-unified-docs), colocated with all other product documentation. Contributions to this content should be done in the `web-unified-docs` repo, and not this one. Changes made to `/website` content in this repo will not be reflected on the developer.hashicorp.com website.

# Snowflake database secrets engine

<Warning title="Password authentication removal">
    Snowflake is disabling password authentication for all users in&nbsp;
    <a href="https://www.snowflake.com/en/blog/blocking-single-factor-password-authentification">November of 2025.</a>
    &nbsp;HashiCorp has added support for key pair authentication in place of passwords.
</Warning>

Snowflake is one of the supported plugins for the database secrets engine. This plugin
generates database credentials dynamically based on configured roles for Snowflake-hosted
databases and supports [Static Roles](/vault/docs/secrets/databases#static-roles).

See the [database secrets engine](/vault/docs/secrets/databases) docs for
more information about setting up the database secrets engine.

The Snowflake database secrets engine uses
[gosnowflake](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/snowflakedb/gosnowflake).

## Capabilities

| Plugin Name                 | Root Credential Rotation | Dynamic Roles | Static Roles | Username Customization | Credential Types          |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------- | ------------ | ---------------------- |---------------------------|
| `snowflake-database-plugin` | Password-only            | Yes           | Yes          | Yes (1.8+)             | password(deprecated), rsa_private_key |

## Setup

1.  Enable the database secrets engine if it is not already enabled:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault secrets enable database
    Success! Enabled the database secrets engine at: database/
    ```

    By default, the secrets engine will enable at the name of the engine. To
    enable the secrets engine at a different path, use the `-path` argument.

1.  Configure Vault with userpass authentication:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault write database/config/my-snowflake-database \
        plugin_name=snowflake-database-plugin \
        allowed_roles="my-role" \
        connection_url="{{username}}:{{password}}@ecxxxx.west-us-1.azure/db_name" \
        username="vaultuser" \
        password="vaultpass"
    ```

    A properly formatted data source name (DSN) needs to be provided during configuration of the
    database. This DSN is typically formatted with the following options:

    ```shell-session
    {{username}}:{{password}}@account/db_name
    ```

    `{{username}}` and `{{password}}` will typically be used as is during configuration. The
    special formatting is replaced by the username and password options passed to the configuration
    for initial connection.

    `account` is your Snowflake account identifier. You can find out more about this value by reading
    the `server` section of
    [this document](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/odbc-parameters.html#connection-parameters).

    `db_name` is the name of a database in your Snowflake instance.

    ~> **Note:** The user being utilized should have `ACCOUNT_ADMIN` privileges, and should be different
    from the root user you were provided when making your Snowflake account. This allows you to rotate
    the root credentials and still be able to access your account.

1.  Configure Vault with keypair authentication:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault write database/config/my-snowflake-database \
        plugin_name=snowflake-database-plugin \
        allowed_roles="my-role" \
        connection_url="ecxxxx.west-us-1.azure.snowflakecomputing.com/db_name" \
        username="vaultuser" \
        private_key=@key.pem
    ```

You must provide properly formatted data source names (DSN) when you configure
the database in the following format. When using key-pair authentication, do not
provide any templates in the DSN:

```shell-session
<account>.snowflakecomputing.com/<db_name>
```

- `account` - your Snowflake account identifier. Refer to the
[`server` section](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/odbc-parameters.html#connection-parameters)
of the connection parameters for Snowflake ODBC configuration for further details.

- `db_name` the name of a database in your Snowflake instance.

You must provide Vault with a Snowflake user that has `ACCOUNT_ADMIN` privileges. We
strongly recommend using a unique user account for Vault access so Vault can
rotate the associated root credentials without disrupting the account associated
with your Snowflake account or other Snowflake users on the account.

## Usage

After the secrets engine is configured, configure dynamic and static roles to
enable generating credentials.

### Dynamic roles

#### Password credentials

1.  Configure a role that creates new Snowflake users with password credentials:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault write database/roles/my-password-role \
        db_name=my-snowflake-database \
        creation_statements="CREATE USER {{name}} PASSWORD = '{{password}}'
            DAYS_TO_EXPIRY = {{expiration}} DEFAULT_ROLE=myrole;
            GRANT ROLE myrole TO USER {{name}};" \
        default_ttl="1h" \
        max_ttl="24h"
    Success! Data written to: database/roles/my-password-role
    ```

1.  Generate a new credential by reading from the `/creds` endpoint with the name
    of the role:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault read database/creds/my-password-role
    Key                Value
    ---                -----
    lease_id           database/creds/my-password-role/2f6a614c-4aa2-7b19-24b9-ad944a8d4de6
    lease_duration     1h
    lease_renewable    true
    password           SsnoaA-8Tv4t34f41baD
    username           v_root_my_password_role_fU0jqEy4wMNoAY2h60yd_1610561532
    ```

#### Key pair credentials

1. Configure a role that creates new Snowflake users with key pair credentials:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault write database/roles/my-keypair-role \
        db_name=my-snowflake-database \
        creation_statements="CREATE USER {{name}} RSA_PUBLIC_KEY='{{public_key}}'
          DAYS_TO_EXPIRY = {{expiration}} DEFAULT_ROLE=myrole;
          GRANT ROLE myrole TO USER {{name}};" \
        credential_type="rsa_private_key" \
        credential_config=key_bits=2048 \
        default_ttl="1h" \
        max_ttl="24h"
    Success! Data written to: database/roles/my-keypair-role
    ```

1.  Generate a new credential by reading from the `/creds` endpoint with the name
    of the role:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault read database/creds/my-keypair-role
    Key                Value
    ---                -----
    lease_id           database/creds/my-keypair-role/2f6a614c-4aa2-7b19-24b9-ad944a8d4de6
    lease_duration     1h
    lease_renewable    true
    rsa_private_key    -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
                       ...
                       -----END PRIVATE KEY-----
    username           v_token_my_keypair_role_n20WjS9U3LWTlBWn4Wbh_1654718170
    ```

    You can directly use the PEM-encoded `rsa_private_key` value to establish a connection
    to Snowflake. See [connection options](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/key-pair-auth.html#step-6-configure-the-snowflake-client-to-use-key-pair-authentication)
    for a list of clients and instructions for establishing a connection using key pair
    authentication.

### Static roles

#### Password credentials

1. Configure a static role that rotates the password credential for an existing Snowflake user.

    ```shell-session
    $ vault write database/static-roles/my-password-role \
        db_name=my-snowflake-database \
        username="snowflake_existing_user" \
        rotation_period="24h" \
        rotation_statements="ALTER USER {{name}} SET PASSWORD = '{{password}}'"
    Success! Data written to: database/static-roles/my-password-role
    ```

1.  Retrieve the current password credential from the `/static-creds` endpoint:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault read database/static-creds/my-password-role
    Key                    Value
    ---                    -----
    last_vault_rotation    2020-08-07T16:50:48.393354+01:00
    password               Z4-KH8F-VK5VJc0hSkXQ
    rotation_period        24h
    ttl                    23h59m39s
    username               my-existing-couchbase-user
    ```

#### Key pair credentials

1. Configure a static role that rotates the key pair credential for an existing Snowflake user:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault write database/static-roles/my-keypair-role \
        db_name=my-snowflake-database \
        username="snowflake_existing_user" \
        rotation_period="24h" \
        rotation_statements="ALTER USER {{name}} SET RSA_PUBLIC_KEY='{{public_key}}'" \
        credential_type="rsa_private_key" \
        credential_config=key_bits=2048
    Success! Data written to: database/static-roles/my-keypair-role
    ```

1.  Retrieve the current key pair credential from the `/static-creds` endpoint:

    ```shell-session
    $ vault read database/static-creds/my-keypair-role
    Key                    Value
    ---                    -----
    last_vault_rotation    2022-06-08T13:13:02.355928-07:00
    rotation_period        24h
    rsa_private_key        -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
                           ...
                           -----END PRIVATE KEY-----
    ttl                    23h59m55s
    username               snowflake_existing_user
    ```

    You can directly use the PEM-encoded `rsa_private_key` value to establish a connection
    to Snowflake. See [connection options](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/key-pair-auth.html#step-6-configure-the-snowflake-client-to-use-key-pair-authentication)
    for a list of clients and instructions for establishing a connection using key pair
    authentication.

## Key pair authentication

Snowflake supports using [key pair authentication](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/key-pair-auth.html)
for enhanced authentication security as an alternative to username and password authentication.
The Snowflake database plugin can be used to manage key pair credentials for Snowflake users
by using the `rsa_private_key` [credential_type](/vault/api-docs/secret/databases#credential_type).

See the [usage](/vault/docs/secrets/databases/snowflake#usage) section for examples using both
dynamic and static roles.

## API

The full list of configurable options can be seen in the [Snowflake database
plugin API](/vault/api-docs/secret/databases/snowflake) page.

For more information on the database secrets engine's HTTP API please see the
[Database secrets engine API](/vault/api-docs/secret/databases) page.
