--- title: "Credential Vault" description: "Credential Vault" product: "Guardian" edition: "Classic" type: "reference" url: "https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/what-s-new/3-archive/2024/quarterly-releases/q2/credential-vault/" --- # Credential Vault Applies to: `Guardian Classic` | Included in Version | Release Date | | --- | --- | | V4.3.46.0 | [July 2024 Quarterly Release](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/what-s-new/3-archive/2024/quarterly-releases/q2/july-feature-2024/index.md) | As part of our ongoing efforts to increase usability and security in Guardian, we have introduced a new 'Credential Vault' service that enables you to safely store your credentials within the Guardian database. Using industry standard asymmetric encryption, any credentials stored within the 'vault' are encrypted/decrypted with public/private key pairs that are generated and managed by Guardian Connection Managers. Once stored, those credentials can be used to add/edit an unlimited number of nodes, without needing to manually enter them each time. This is an optional feature, to enable the Credential Vault service, contact your Cloudhouse Representative. !!! note The use of asymmetric encryption in Guardian is not new functionality. This is the primary method for storing passwords in Guardian. As part of this development, a new **Credentials** tab has been added to the Guardian **Inventory**. Here, you can add, edit, view, and delete credentials from your Guardian instance. By storing the credentials in one location, you no longer need to update new or expired credentials within each individual node, as you can edit the credential within the **Credentials** tab and have Guardian update each node accordingly. For more information on how to add stored credentials to a node, see [Use Credentials](#use-credentials). !!! tip The credentials stored in this tab are specific to the organisation they were created in. For more information, see [Credentials](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/inventory/credentials/credentials/index.md). ![Credential tab](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/whats-new/2024/june/credential-vault/credential-tab.png) ## Create credentials Once you create a credential, it is stored in the Guardian database and available to use when adding or editing a node. To add a new set of credentials to your Guardian instance, complete the following steps: 1. In the Guardian web application, navigate to the **Credentials** tab (**Inventory** > **Credentials**). 2. Click the **Create Credential** button. The **Create Credential** page is displayed. ![Create credential](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/whats-new/2024/june/credential-vault/create-credential.png) 3. Complete the following options: ![Create credential page](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/whats-new/2024/june/credential-vault/create-credential-page.png) **Name** field : The display name for the credential within Guardian. For example, 'AWS Access Key ID'. **Description** field (Optional) : Option to provide a description of the credential to distinguish it amongst others. For example, 'The AWS Access Key ID for the DEV account'. **Connection Manager Group** drop-down list (Optional) : Option to select a Connection Manager group from the drop-down list to associate it with the credential. !!! note If no Connection Manager group is selected, the password is still encrypted. **Username** field (Optional) : Option to add the username associated with the **Password** field. **Password** field : The password for the credential. **Secondary Password** field (Optional) : Option to add a secondary password. 4. Once complete, click the **Save Credential** button. The credential is then created and stored in the **Credentials** tab. Here, you can **Edit** or **Delete** existing credentials by clicking the **Ellipsis** button (![Ellipses](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/buttons/ellipses.png)) in the **Actions** column and selecting the corresponding option. !!! note Once a credential is deleted, it is permanently removed from your Guardian instance and cannot be retrieved. ## Use credentials A new **Credentials** drop-down list is available to use when adding or editing one of the following node types: - [Linux](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/inventory/add-nodes/add-a-single-node/agentless/network-device-node/index.md) - [Windows](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/inventory/add-nodes/add-a-single-node/agentless/winrm-node/index.md) - Network devices. !!! tip Additionally, when adding or editing [Integrations](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/control/integrations/integrations/index.md) that include a Virtual Machine, such as AWS EC2 and Azure Virtual Machines, any corresponding stored credentials can also be used. The drop-down list is populated with the stored credentials in the **Credentials** tab. For more information on how to add a credential, see [Create Credentials](#create-credentials). **To use stored credentials when adding or editing a node, complete the following steps**: 1. On the **Add/Edit Node** page, select an option from the **Connection manager group** drop-down list. !!! note If no Connection Manager group is associated with the credential, you can skip this step. ![Use credentials](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/whats-new/2024/june/credential-vault/use-credentials.png) 2. Then, select the **Password** radio button. The new **Credentials** drop-down list is displayed. ![Use credentials2](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/whats-new/2024/june/credential-vault/use-credentials2.png) 3. Select a stored credential from the **Credentials** drop-down list. !!! note Additionally, you can select 'Add New Credential' from the drop-down list to display the **Create Credential** dialog. For more information on how to create a credential, see [Create Credentials](#create-credentials). ![Use credentials3](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/whats-new/2024/june/credential-vault/use-credentials3.png) 4. Finally, click to **Update** or **Scan Node**. Once complete, the credentials are used to authenticate Guardian's access to the target node and are saved within the node's settings. For more information on how to add/edit a node, see [Add Nodes](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/inventory/add-nodes/add-nodes/index.md) and [Edit Node](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/inventory/add-nodes/edit-node/index.md). !!! tip This is an optional feature, to enable the Credential Vault service, contact your Cloudhouse Representative.