VA-003 Utilize Vault CLI and API Practice Question
An administrator wants to mount the AWS secrets engine at 'aws' path using the API. Which request is correct?
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the distinction between POST (create) and PUT (update/tune) for Vault API endpoints, and candidates confuse the mount path with auth method paths or use an incorrect type string like 'aws-secrets' instead of the official 'aws'.
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
✓
POST /v1/sys/mounts/aws with body {"type":"aws"}
Mounting a secrets engine in Vault is performed via a POST request to the `/v1/sys/mounts/<path>` endpoint with a JSON body containing the `"type"` field set to the engine's type identifier. For the AWS secrets engine, the type is `"aws"`, and the path is specified in the URL as `aws`. The POST method is required for creating a new mount, while PUT is used for tuning an existing mount.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
PUT /v1/sys/mounts/aws with body {"type":"aws"}
Why it's wrong here
PUT is used for tuning an existing mount, not creating a new one. Creating a mount requires POST.
- ✗
POST /v1/sys/auth/aws with body {"type":"aws"}
Why it's wrong here
The endpoint /v1/sys/auth/ is for authentication methods, not secrets engines. Secrets engines are mounted under /v1/sys/mounts/.
- ✓
POST /v1/sys/mounts/aws with body {"type":"aws"}
Why this is correct
Correct. POST to /v1/sys/mounts/aws with body {"type":"aws"} creates a new mount for the AWS secrets engine at the path 'aws'.
- ✗
POST /v1/sys/mounts/aws with body {"type":"aws-secrets"}
Why it's wrong here
The type should be "aws", not "aws-secrets". The AWS secrets engine type identifier is "aws".
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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.