---
layout: docs
page_title: Secrets import
description: Secrets import allows you to safely onboard secrets from external sources into Vault KV for management.
---


# Secrets import

@include 'alerts/enterprise-only.mdx'

@include 'alerts/beta.mdx'

Distributing sensitive information across multiple external systems creates
several challenges, including:

- Increased operational overhead.
- Increased exposure risk from data sprawl.
- Increased risk of outdated and out-of-sync information.

Using Vault as a single source of truth for sensitive data increases
security and reduces management overhead, but migrating preexisting data from multiple
and/or varied sources can be complex and costly.

The secrets import process helps you automate and streamline your sensitive data
migration with codified import plans as HCL files. Import plans tell Vault which KVv2 secrets
engine instance to store the expected secret data in, the source system for which data will be
read from, and how to filter this data. Three HCL blocks make this possible:

- The `destination` block defines target KVv2 mounts.
- The `source` block provides credentials for connecting to the external system.
- The `mapping` block defines how Vault should decide which data gets imported (and possibly
  transformed) before writing the information to KVv2.

## Activate secrets import

You must activate the secrets import feature with the feature activation
endpoint before you can import secrets. Vault returns an error if you call
import-related endpoints before activation.

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="CLI" group="cli">

$ vault write -f sys/activation-flags/secrets-import/activate

</Tab>
<Tab heading="API" group="api">

```shell-session
$ curl \
  --request PUT \
  --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
  http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/sys/activation-flags/secrets-import/activate
```

</Tab>
</Tabs>

## Destinations

Vault stores imported secrets in a Vault KVv2 secrets engine mount. Destination
blocks start with `destination_vault` and define the desired KVv2 mount path and
an optional namespace. The combination of these represent the exact location in your
Vault instance you want the information stored.

### HCL syntax

```hcl
destination_vault {
  name      = "my-dest-1"
  namespace = "ns-1"
  is_hcp_vault_cluster = "true"
  mount     = "mount-1"
}
```

- `name` `(string: <required>)` - A unique name for the destination block that can
  be referenced in subsequent mapping blocks.

- `mount` `(string: <required>)` - The mount path for the target KVv2 instance.

- `address` `(string)` - Optional network address of the Vault server with the
  KVv2 secrets engine enabled. By default, the Vault client's address will be used.

- `credentials_file` `(string)` - Optional path to authentication token for the Vault
  server at the specified address. By default, the Vault client's token will be used.

- `namespace` `(string)` - Optional namespace path containing the specified KVv2
  mount. By default, Vault looks for the KVv2 mount under the root namespace.

- `is_hcp_vault_cluster` `(string)` - Optional indicates whether the destination is 
a hashicorp Vault Dedicated cluster or not. Set `true` when the cluster is a HVD cluster.

## Sources

Vault can import secrets from the following sources:
- [GCP Secret Manager](/vault/docs/import/gcpsm)
- [AWS Secret Manager](/vault/docs/import/awssm)
- [Azure KeyVault](/vault/docs/import/azurekv)

To pull data from a source during import, Vault needs credentials for the
external system. You can provide credentials directly as part of the import
plan, or use Vault to automatically generate dynamic credentials if you already
have the corresponding secrets engine configured.  Otherwise credentials will be
fetched from the default locations appropriate to the external system.

### HCL syntax

Source blocks start with `source_<external_system>` and include any connection
information required by the target system or the secrets engine to leverage. For example:

```hcl
source_gcp {
  name             = "my-gcp-source-1"
  credentials_file = "/path/to/service-account-key.json"
}
```

- `name` `(string: <required>)` - A unique name for the source block that can be
  referenced in subsequent mapping blocks.

- `credentials_file` `(string: <required>)` - Path to a credential file with
  read permissions for the target system.

Depending on the source system, additional information may be required. Refer to
the connection documentation for your source system to determine the full set of
required fields for that system type.

## Mappings

Mappings glue the source and destination together and filter the migrated data,
to determine what is imported and what is ignored.

### HCL syntax

Mapping blocks require a name, a source name, a destination name, and any corresponding
transformations or filters that apply for each mapping type. Example:

```hcl
mapping {
  name        = "my-map-1"
  source      = "my-gcp-source-1"
  destination = "my-dest-1"
  filter      = "Secret.Name matches `(foo|bar)`"
  transform "exact" {
    from = "foo"
    to = "foosball"
  }
  transform "regexp" {
    from = "foo(.*)"
    to = "bar$1"
  }
}
```

- `name` `(string: <required>)` - A unique name for the mapping block.

- `source` `(string: <required>)` - The name of a previously-defined source block
  **from** which the data should be read.

- `destination` `(string: <required>)` - The name of a previously defined
  destination block **to** which the data should be written.

- `filter` `(string: "")` - Optional string containing a (`bexpr` style boolean expression)[https://github.com/hashicorp/go-bexpr]
 that limits which secrets Vault imports from the source.

#### Filters

Filters describes conditions for secret fields that a source secret must meet to be imported. You can filter against the following secret fields:

- `Secret.Name` - The name of the source secret
- `Secret.Tags` - A map of key-value user-defined metadata associated with the source secret

You can also apply simple binary conditions to input values:

- `Secret.Name != "foo"`
- `Secret.Tags.Team matches "my-dept.*"`
- `Secret.Tags contains "my-required-tag-name"`

These can be combined using `and`, `or`, and `not`:

- `(Secret.Name == "foo" or Secret.Tags.Team == "my-team") and Secret.Tags.Category = "my-cat"`

#### Transformers

Transform stanzas come in two forms: `exact` and `regexp`.

An exact transform allows renaming a secret during import, so that the `from` secret name
is imported into Vault as a secret named `to`.  In the following example it, takes a source secret
named `foo` and transforms it to `foosball` during import.

```hcl
  transform "exact" {
    from = "foo"
    to = "foosball"
  }
```

`regexp` transforms rename secrets during import using
[Go regular expression syntax](https://github.com/google/re2/wiki/Syntax). For
example, the transform below imports any secret in the source whose name starts
with `foo` and replaces the `foo` prefix with `bar`.

```hcl
  transform "regexp" {
    from = "foo(.*)"
    to = "bar$1"
  }
  transform "regexp" {
    from = "foo(?P<suffix>.*)"
    to = "bar$suffix"
  }
```

The `from` value supports parentheses to bookend capture groups and named
capture groups using the syntax `(?P<name>re)`. When you use named capture
groups, you can reference the named group in the `to` value. For example,
`$name` instead of `$1`.