OpenBao on Servala: Sovereign Secrets Management Without the Licensing Burden

In a world increasingly dependent on cloud-native applications, securing sensitive data like API keys, database credentials, and certificates is crucial. Secrets management is the foundational layer of modern security. OpenBao as a fully managed service on Servala provides enterprise-grade secrets management built on open standards and without the complexity of self-hosting.

What is OpenBao?

OpenBao is a powerful, centralized secrets management solution designed to securely store, control access to, and audit secrets across various environments. It serves as a secure vault for any secret, supporting:

• Dynamic secrets generation

• Data encryption

• Robust identity-based access control

Crucially, OpenBao is an open-source fork of HashiCorp Vault. Functionally, the two are nearly identical, sharing the same battle-tested architecture and core features. OpenBao was created to preserve the open availability of secrets management technology following changes to Vault’s license.

Why Choose OpenBao?

OpenBao stands out as the secure, open, and future-proof choice for secrets management:

• Secrets Centralization: Consolidate all credentials (API keys, tokens, certificates, passwords) into a single, secure location.

• Dynamic Secrets: Generate temporary, on-demand credentials for databases, cloud services, and more - significantly reducing the risk of compromised static secrets.

• Data Encryption: Use OpenBao as an encryption-as-a-service provider to encrypt data without ever exposing the encryption keys.

• Auditability: Every access and operation is logged, providing a complete, non-repudiable audit trail for compliance and security monitoring.

• Open Licensing: Circumvent the strict licensing behind HashiCorp Vault. OpenBao ensures customers benefit from the robust technology without vendor lock-in or restrictive commercial terms, thanks to its permissive open-source license.

Who is OpenBao for?

OpenBao is an essential tool for any organization operating in the cloud:

• DevOps and Platform Teams: Automating the secure distribution of credentials to CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes, and configuration management tools.

• Security Teams: Enforcing identity-based access policies and monitoring all secret usage in real time.

• Software Engineers: Retrieving secrets directly in code using secure APIs instead of hardcoding or storing them in configuration files.

• Regulated Industries: Meeting stringent compliance requirements through comprehensive auditing and fine-grained access control.

Why Use OpenBao through Servala?

While OpenBao provides maximum security, its cluster management, unsealing, and operational tasks require specialized expertise. With Servala, you receive OpenBao as a fully managed, production-ready service, optimized for sovereign cloud operations.

What you get with OpenBao on Servala:

• Fully Managed Operations: We handle cluster scaling, high availability, disaster recovery, upgrades, and maintenance - allowing your team to focus solely on defining security policies.

• Data Sovereignty: Choose trusted European or local cloud providers, ensuring your secrets remain within your desired jurisdiction and compliance boundaries.

• Production-Ready Reliability: High-availability clustering and automated failover are built-in, ensuring your applications always have access to the secrets they need.

Expert Support from bespinian

To guarantee smooth adoption and operation, Servala partners with the cloud-native specialists at bespinian.

bespinian actively supports customers using OpenBao on Servala. Their team are experts in both HashiCorp Vault and OpenBao, providing consulting, deployment, and operational guidance. Whether you are migrating from Vault or starting fresh with OpenBao, you have access to the highest level of architectural and security knowledge.

When Should You Use OpenBao on Servala?

This service is ideal if you:

• Need a robust, centralized secrets management solution without the administrative overhead.

• Require the advanced features of Vault/OpenBao (such as dynamic secrets and fine-grained access control) but want to avoid the proprietary licensing of the commercial HashiCorp product.

• Operate in regulated environments and require verifiable audit logs and data sovereignty.

• Are building a cloud-native platform (Kubernetes, microservices) that demands automated, secure credential injection.

Unlock Sovereign, Secure Secrets Management Today

OpenBao brings the industry-leading technology, and Servala brings the simplicity and managed expertise.