vhsm read

Learn to retrieve data from a specified path in a vHSM server.

The vhsm read command retrieves data from vHSM at a specified path. It acts as a wrapper for an HTTP GET request, allowing users to:

• Read secrets

• Generate dynamic credentials

• Retrieve configuration details

• Access other stored data in a vHSM

Usage

vhsm read [flags] <path>

• <path>: The path in vHSM where data is stored.

Examples

1. Read entity details for a given ID

vhsm read identity/entity/id/2f09126d-d161-abb8-2241-555886491d97

2. Generate dynamic AWS credentials for a role

vhsm read aws/creds/my-role

---

API vs CLI

If the Key/Value (K/V) v2 secrets engine is enabled at secret/, the following command reads secrets from secret/data/customers:

vhsm read secret/data/customers

This is equivalent to making a direct API request using curl:

curl --request GET --header "X-Vault-Token: $VAULT_TOKEN" \
    $VAULT_ADDR/v1/secret/data/customers

However, since the K/V secrets engine is commonly used, vHSM provides a dedicated kv command for better handling:

vhsm kv get -mount=secret customers

Comparison of Methods

Method	Command	Output Format
CLI (vault read)	vhsm read secret/data/customers	Key-value format
API (curl)	curl --request GET ...	JSON format
CLI (vault kv get)	vhsm kv get -mount=secret customers	Structured format optimized for K/V secrets

---

Flags

Output options

Flag	Default	Description
-field=<name>	"" (empty)	Prints only the specified field, formatted according to -format. No trailing newline (ideal for piping to other processes).
-format=<type>	"table"	Defines the output format. Valid options: "table", "json", "yaml", or "raw". Can also be set using the VAULT_FORMAT environment variable.

---

Additional information

For a full list of examples and paths, refer to the documentation corresponding to the specific secrets engine in use.