VA-003 Utilize Vault CLI and API Practice Question
An administrator wants to write a secret 'myapp' with value 'password=pass123' to the KV v2 secret engine mounted at 'secret/'. Which command should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the distinction between KV v1 (`vault write`) and KV v2 (`vault kv put`) commands, and the trap here is that candidates mistakenly use the generic `vault write` command (which works for KV v1 but not for KV v2) or invent non-existent subcommands like `write` or `create` under `vault kv`.
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
✓
vault kv put secret/myapp password=pass123
`vault kv put` is the proper command to write or update a secret in the KV v2 secrets engine. The KV v2 engine requires the `put` subcommand to create or overwrite a secret at the specified path, and the syntax `vault kv put secret/myapp password=pass123` correctly writes the key-value pair to the path `secret/myapp` under the mounted engine at `secret/`.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
vault kv write secret/myapp password=pass123
Why it's wrong here
The correct command is 'put', not 'write'.
- ✗
vault kv create secret/myapp password=pass123
Why it's wrong here
No such command.
- ✓
vault kv put secret/myapp password=pass123
Why this is correct
This is the correct syntax for KV v2 put.
- ✗
vault write secret/myapp password=pass123
Why it's wrong here
This is the generic write command and will not properly handle KV v2 metadata.
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JA
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.