VA-003 Utilize Vault CLI and API Practice Question
An administrator needs to securely provide a one-time use token to a remote service using Vault response wrapping. Which CLI flag or command should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the distinction between the `-wrap-ttl` flag used during `vault write` to create a wrapped response versus the `vault unwrap` command used to retrieve the secret, leading candidates to confuse the creation step with the retrieval step.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use 'vault write -wrap-ttl=5m auth/token/create'
`vault write -wrap-ttl=5m auth/token/create` creates a one-time use token wrapped in a response-wrapping envelope with a specified TTL. The remote service can then unwrap the token using `vault unwrap` with the wrapping token, ensuring secure delivery without exposing the actual token in transit.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use 'vault write -response-wrap auth/token/create'
Why it's wrong here
The flag is '-wrap-ttl', not '-response-wrap'.
- ✗
Use 'vault unwrap' on the remote service
Why it's wrong here
'vault unwrap' is used by the recipient to unwrap, not by the administrator to create the wrapped token.
- ✓
Use 'vault write -wrap-ttl=5m auth/token/create'
Why this is correct
This command generates a wrapped token with a 5-minute TTL, which is then unwrapped by the recipient.
- ✗
Use 'vault wrap auth/token/create'
Why it's wrong here
'vault wrap' is a separate command that wraps arbitrary data, but for token creation, the write command with '-wrap-ttl' is standard.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This VA-003 practice question is part of Courseiva's free HashiCorp certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the VA-003 exam.