In Vault, what does the term "lease" refer to?

In the context of HashiCorp Vault, the term "lease" specifically refers to the duration of time a secret is valid before it must be renewed or revoked. When a secret is accessed or retrieved from Vault, it is associated with a lease that determines how long that secret can be used or accessed without needing further action. Once the lease expires, the secret is no longer valid, and this mechanism helps maintain security by ensuring that sensitive information is not accessible indefinitely.

This lease system allows Vault to enforce time-bound access to secrets, promoting better security practices by automatically expiring and requiring renewal of credentials or secrets, thereby reducing the risk of compromise. Understanding leases is critical for managing secrets efficiently and securely in Vault, making it easier to automate the process of secret management in dynamic environments.