Exam comparison
Terraform vs Vault: infrastructure and secrets
Who should take each exam
Terraform Associate is for cloud engineers deploying and managing infrastructure through Terraform.
Vault Associate targets engineers managing secrets, authentication, and access policies across an organization. It focuses on security and isolation.
In short: choose Terraform if you write infrastructure code, Vault if you manage secrets and tokens.
Exam format
| Terraform Associate (004) | Vault Associate (003) | |
|---|---|---|
| Code | 004 | 003 |
| Publisher | HashiCorp | |
| Duration | 1 hour | |
| Format | Online multiple-choice, proctored | |
| Number of questions | Not published | |
| Passing score | Not published | |
| Validity | 2 years | |
| Prerequisites | Basic terminal skills, cloud architecture understanding | Basic terminal skills, cloud architecture understanding, security understanding |
| Languages | English | |
Domains and coverage
Terraform Associate
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform
- Terraform fundamentals
- Core Terraform workflow
- Terraform configuration
- Terraform modules
- Terraform state management
- Maintain infrastructure with Terraform
- HCP Terraform
Vault Associate
- Authentication Methods
- Vault Policies
- Vault Tokens
- Vault Leases
- Secrets Engines
- Encryption as a Service
- Vault Architecture Fundamentals
- Vault Deployment Architecture
- Access management architecture
Overlaps and differences
Overlaps: both cover modern infrastructure and sensitive data management. Terraform can deploy Vault, and Vault integrates into Terraform workflows (remote state, secret data sources).
Differences:
- Terraform covers: IaC, providers, configuration, modules, backends (local, remote, HCP Terraform), state locking, workflows.
- Vault covers: authentication, access policies, secrets engines (static/dynamic), encryption, sealing/unsealing, distributed architecture (clustering, replication).
Which one to choose based on your profile
Choose Terraform if…
- You write and deploy Terraform code in production.
- You manage workspaces and remote backends.
- Your role focuses on infrastructure provisioning and changes.
Choose Vault if…
- You administer Vault or manage its policies and secrets engines.
- Multi-environment secret security and authentication concerns you.
- You work on compliance and access auditing.
How to prepare
- Visit the official Terraform Associate page or Vault Associate page.
- Work through the official objectives and HashiCorp docs: Terraform content list or Vault content list.
- Practice with our Terraform Associate practice exam or Vault Associate practice exam, then review with Terraform study mode or Vault study mode.
Try both, free
Original questions, each answer explained with a link to the documentation. Study mode is free and needs no account.
Practice Exam: Terraform Associate (004)
25 free questions with explanations
Practice Exam: Vault Associate (003)
25 free questions with explanations