VA-003 Explain encryption as a service Practice Question
An organization wants to encrypt data at rest in a cloud storage bucket. They plan to use Vault's transit engine to generate a data key and then encrypt the data locally. Which transit endpoint should they use to get a data key?
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the distinction between 'datakey/plaintext' and 'datakey/ciphertext' endpoints, where candidates mistakenly choose the ciphertext-only endpoint thinking it provides the key for local encryption, but it actually omits the plaintext key required for that purpose.
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/transit/datakey/plaintext/my-key
The correct endpoint to retrieve a data key that can be used for local client-side encryption is POST /v1/transit/datakey/plaintext/my-key. This endpoint returns both the plaintext data key (for local encryption) and the ciphertext version of the key (for secure storage alongside the encrypted data). The 'plaintext' in the path indicates that the response includes the key in plaintext form, which is necessary for performing encryption locally.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
POST /v1/transit/datakey/plaintext/my-key
Why this is correct
Returns both plaintext and ciphertext data key.
- ✗
POST /v1/transit/encrypt/my-key
Why it's wrong here
Encrypts data, not generate a key.
- ✗
POST /v1/transit/decrypt/my-key
Why it's wrong here
Decrypts data.
- ✗
POST /v1/transit/datakey/ciphertext/my-key
Why it's wrong here
Returns only ciphertext key.
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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.