Comparison
Keyway vs HashiCorp Vault
Start in minutes vs months of setup
Keyway requires no infrastructure. Vault is the most powerful secrets manager available, but requires dedicated operators and infrastructure.
Quick Summary
Keyway
Best for teams who want secrets management without the operational overhead of running infrastructure.
HashiCorp Vault
Best for enterprises with dedicated platform teams who need maximum control, compliance, and customization.
Feature Comparison
See how Keyway and HashiCorp Vault compare across key features.
| Feature | Keyway | HashiCorp Vault |
|---|---|---|
GitHub Repo Permissions Repo access = secret access, no separate user management | ||
Zero Onboarding No separate accounts or invites needed | ||
Setup Time | < 1 minute | Days to weeks |
Runtime Injection Run commands with secrets in memory, no .env file | keyway run | Vault Agent (complex) |
AI Agent Support (MCP) MCP server for Claude, Cursor, VS Code | ||
Secret Versioning View and rollback to previous versions | KV v2 engine | |
Audit Logs Track who accessed what and when | ||
MFA | Via GitHub | |
Infrastructure Required | None (managed) | Servers, HA, backups |
Dedicated Operators | ||
Pricing | $9/mo or $29/mo (Team, 5 users incl.) | $0.50/secret/mo (HCP) |
Self-Hosting | ||
Open Source | BSL License | |
Dynamic Secrets Generate short-lived credentials | ||
Encryption as a Service Encrypt data without storing it | ||
PKI / Certificates | ||
Namespaces Multi-tenant isolation | Enterprise | |
Disaster Recovery | Managed | Self-managed |
HSM Support | Enterprise | |
GitHub Actions | ||
CLI |
Key Differences
Understanding the fundamental differences helps you choose the right tool.
Operational Complexity
Zero infrastructure. Sign in with GitHub, run a command, done. We handle availability, backups, and scaling.
Requires dedicated servers, HA configuration, unseal key management, backup procedures, and monitoring. Production hardening is a significant undertaking.
Learning Curve
Two commands: `keyway init` and `keyway pull`. One command to run: `keyway run -- npm start`.
Steep learning curve. Policies, auth methods, secrets engines, tokens, leases - there's a lot to understand before using it safely.
Team Requirements
Any developer can use it. No special training or dedicated operators needed.
Typically requires a dedicated platform or security team to operate. Not something you hand to developers without proper setup.
Power vs Simplicity
Focused on one use case: environment variables for your apps. Simple but limited.
Incredibly powerful: dynamic secrets, encryption as a service, PKI, database credential rotation. The Swiss Army knife of secrets management.
Which Should You Choose?
The best tool depends on your specific needs. Here's our honest take.
Choose Keyway if...
- You don't have a dedicated platform/DevOps team
- You want to start using secrets management today, not next quarter
- Environment variables are your primary use case
- You prefer managed services
- Your team already uses GitHub
Choose HashiCorp Vault if...
- You have dedicated platform engineers
- You need dynamic secrets or database credential rotation
- Encryption as a service is a requirement
- You're in a highly regulated industry
- You need maximum control and customization
Last updated: December 25, 2025
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