https://DevOpsCloud.io -- Cloud Monk Losang Jinpa, Ph.D., MCSE/MCT, GitOps DevOps Engineer

There are a couple of different Kubernetes operators that manage HashiCorp Vault instances within Kubernetes, each with slightly different approaches and focuses:

**1. Bank Vaults Operator:**

• **Focus:** Comprehensive management of Vault clusters, including automatic unsealing, configuration, and TLS support.
• **Key Features:**

     * External, API-based configuration for Vault clusters
     * Automatic unsealing using various mechanisms (AWS, GCE, Azure, Alibaba, Kubernetes Secrets, Oracle)
     * TLS support for secure communication
     * Integration with Kubernetes secrets for development purposes

• **GitHub Repository:** * s://github.com/bank-vaults/bank-vaults(https://github.com/bank-vaults/bank-vaults)
• **Official Documentation:** * s://bank-vaults.dev/docs/operator/(https://bank-vaults.dev/docs/operator/)

**2. HashiCorp Vault Secrets Operator (VSO):**

• **Focus:** Synchronizing secrets between Vault and Kubernetes Secrets, enabling pods to consume Vault secrets natively.
• **Key Features:**

     * Watches for changes to Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) to synchronize Vault secrets to Kubernetes Secrets.
     * Writes Vault secret data directly to Kubernetes Secrets, ensuring replication of changes.
     * Allows applications to access secret data natively through Kubernetes Secrets.

• **GitHub Repository:** * s://github.com/hashicorp/vault-secrets-operator(https://github.com/hashicorp/vault-secrets-operator)
• **Official Documentation:** * s://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/tutorials/kubernetes/vault-secrets-operator(https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/tutorials/kubernetes/vault-secrets-operator)

**Choosing the Right Operator:**

• If you need comprehensive management of Vault clusters with automatic unsealing and configuration, consider the **Bank Vaults Operator**.
• If your primary goal is to seamlessly integrate Vault secrets with Kubernetes applications, the **HashiCorp Vault Secrets Operator** is the more suitable choice.

Both operators leverage Kubernetes CRDs to define and manage Vault-related resources, abstracting complexities and simplifying the integration of Vault with your Kubernetes environment.