This EX294 practice question tests your understanding of manage inventories and credentials. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An Ansible administrator wants to use an encrypted vault file to store sensitive variables. Which command creates a new vault file and prompts for a password?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
ansible-vault edit secrets.yml
Why wrong: Edits an existing vault file, does not create new.
ansible-vault create secrets.yml
Creates a new vault file and prompts for password.
ansible-vault view secrets.yml
Why wrong: Views an existing vault file, does not create.
ansible-vault encrypt secrets.yml
Why wrong: Encrypts an existing file, does not create new.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
ansible-vault create secrets.yml
Option B is correct because `ansible-vault create secrets.yml` creates a new encrypted vault file and immediately prompts the user to set a password, which is then used to encrypt the file. This command is specifically designed for initial creation of vault files, unlike `edit` which requires an existing file, `view` which only displays content, or `encrypt` which encrypts an existing plaintext file.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
ansible-vault edit secrets.yml
Why it's wrong here
Edits an existing vault file, does not create new.
ansible-vault create secrets.yml
Why this is correct
Creates a new vault file and prompts for password.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
ansible-vault view secrets.yml
Why it's wrong here
Views an existing vault file, does not create.
ansible-vault encrypt secrets.yml
Why it's wrong here
Encrypts an existing file, does not create new.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse `ansible-vault create` with `ansible-vault encrypt`, mistakenly thinking both create new files, but `encrypt` requires an existing plaintext file while `create` generates a new encrypted file from scratch.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, `ansible-vault create` uses AES-256 encryption in CBC mode with a PBKDF2-derived key from the provided password, writing the encrypted data to the specified file. A subtle behavior is that if the file already exists, `ansible-vault create` will overwrite it without warning, which can lead to accidental data loss in automation scripts. In real-world scenarios, this command is often used in CI/CD pipelines to generate vault files for secrets like API keys or SSH passwords, where the password is provided via `--ask-vault-pass` or a vault password file.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the EX294 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Manage inventories and credentials — This question tests Manage inventories and credentials — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: ansible-vault create secrets.yml — Option B is correct because `ansible-vault create secrets.yml` creates a new encrypted vault file and immediately prompts the user to set a password, which is then used to encrypt the file. This command is specifically designed for initial creation of vault files, unlike `edit` which requires an existing file, `view` which only displays content, or `encrypt` which encrypts an existing plaintext file.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This EX294 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Red Hat 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 EX294 exam.
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