Where does Vault store its data at rest?

Vault stores its data at rest in storage backends. This allows Vault to maintain a secure and scalable method for persisting secrets, policies, and other important state information. Storage backends can include various types of systems, such as databases or key-value stores, which provide durability and reliability for the data managed by Vault.

Using storage backends means Vault can leverage different backends that suit a user's specific needs, whether they are local file systems, cloud storage services, or other supported storage technologies, thus offering flexibility in deployment scenarios. By relying on these dedicated backends, Vault can appropriately manage and encrypt sensitive data while ensuring it remains securely stored and accessible under the right conditions.

In contrast, data stored solely in memory would not persist through server restarts, compromising Vault's ability to securely retain secrets. While using local file systems or cloud services can be part of a storage backend, they represent just a subset of the various options available to Vault. Therefore, the broader and more encompassing category of storage backends is the accurate answer.