Azure Key Vault Keys SDK for Rust

Client library for Azure Key Vault Keys — secure storage and management of cryptographic keys.

Installation

sh
cargo add azure_security_keyvault_keys azure_identity

Environment Variables

bash
AZURE_KEYVAULT_URL=https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net/

Authentication

rust
use azure_identity::DeveloperToolsCredential;
use azure_security_keyvault_keys::KeyClient;

let credential = DeveloperToolsCredential::new(None)?;
let client = KeyClient::new(
    "https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net/",
    credential.clone(),
    None,
)?;

Key Types

| Type | Description | |------|-------------| | RSA | RSA keys (2048, 3072, 4096 bits) | | EC | Elliptic curve keys (P-256, P-384, P-521) | | RSA-HSM | HSM-protected RSA keys | | EC-HSM | HSM-protected EC keys |

Core Operations

Get Key

rust
let key = client
    .get_key("key-name", None)
    .await?
    .into_model()?;

println!("Key ID: {:?}", key.key.as_ref().map(|k| &k.kid));

Create Key

rust
use azure_security_keyvault_keys::models::{CreateKeyParameters, KeyType};

let params = CreateKeyParameters {
    kty: KeyType::Rsa,
    key_size: Some(2048),
    ..Default::default()
};

let key = client
    .create_key("key-name", params.try_into()?, None)
    .await?
    .into_model()?;

Create EC Key

rust
use azure_security_keyvault_keys::models::{CreateKeyParameters, KeyType, CurveName};

let params = CreateKeyParameters {
    kty: KeyType::Ec,
    curve: Some(CurveName::P256),
    ..Default::default()
};

let key = client
    .create_key("ec-key", params.try_into()?, None)
    .await?
    .into_model()?;

Delete Key

rust
client.delete_key("key-name", None).await?;

List Keys

rust
use azure_security_keyvault_keys::ResourceExt;
use futures::TryStreamExt;

let mut pager = client.list_key_properties(None)?.into_stream();
while let Some(key) = pager.try_next().await? {
    let name = key.resource_id()?.name;
    println!("Key: {}", name);
}

Backup Key

rust
let backup = client.backup_key("key-name", None).await?;
// Store backup.value safely

Restore Key

rust
use azure_security_keyvault_keys::models::RestoreKeyParameters;

let params = RestoreKeyParameters {
    key_bundle_backup: backup_bytes,
};

client.restore_key(params.try_into()?, None).await?;

Cryptographic Operations

Key Vault can perform crypto operations without exposing the private key:

rust
// For cryptographic operations, use the key's operations
// Available operations depend on key type and permissions:
// - encrypt/decrypt (RSA)
// - sign/verify (RSA, EC)
// - wrapKey/unwrapKey (RSA)

Best Practices

1. Use Entra ID auth — DeveloperToolsCredential for dev, ManagedIdentityCredential for production
2. Use HSM keys for sensitive workloads — hardware-protected keys
3. Use EC for signing — more efficient than RSA
4. Use RSA for encryption — when encrypting data
5. Backup keys — for disaster recovery
6. Enable soft delete — required for production vaults
7. Use key rotation — create new versions periodically

RBAC Permissions

Assign these Key Vault roles:

• Key Vault Crypto User — use keys for crypto operations
• Key Vault Crypto Officer — full CRUD on keys

Reference Links

| Resource | Link | |----------|------| | API Reference | https://docs.rs/azure_security_keyvault_keys | | Source Code | https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-rust/tree/main/sdk/keyvault/azure_security_keyvault_keys | | crates.io | https://crates.io/crates/azure_security_keyvault_keys |

When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.