VA-003 Explain encryption as a service Practice Question
Which Vault API path is used to encrypt data with the transit engine?
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the exact API path syntax, and the trap here is that candidates confuse the action verb 'encrypt' with the noun 'encryption' or use abbreviations, leading them to pick options like D or E that sound correct but use the wrong word.
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
✓
/v1/transit/encrypt/{keyname}
The Vault transit engine uses the exact path `/v1/transit/encrypt/{keyname}` to encrypt plaintext data. The `{keyname}` parameter specifies the named encryption key stored in the transit engine, and the API endpoint expects a POST request with the plaintext base64-encoded in the request body. This path aligns with Vault's RESTful design where the action (`encrypt`) is a sub-path under the transit mount, and the key name is a required path parameter.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/v1/transit/enc/
Why it's wrong here
Path uses 'enc' instead of 'encrypt'.
- ✗
/v1/transit/encrypt/
Why it's wrong here
Missing keyname in path.
- ✓
/v1/transit/encrypt/{keyname}
Why this is correct
This is the standard endpoint for transit encryption.
- ✗
/v1/transit/encryption/
Why it's wrong here
Uses 'encryption' instead of 'encrypt'.
- ✗
/v1/transit/encryption/{keyname}
Why it's wrong here
Uses 'encryption' instead of 'encrypt'.
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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.