Azure Keyvault Keys TS

MicrosoftOfficialCreated by Microsoft

Skill
Tool integration
Cloud and DevOps
MIT
No issues found

From the author

Manage cryptographic keys using Azure Key Vault Keys SDK for JavaScript (@azure/keyvault-keys). Use when creating, encrypting/decrypting, signing, or rotating keys.

— the description by Microsoft

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides a comprehensive guide to using the @azure/keyvault-keys and @azure/keyvault-secrets SDKs for Node.js. It covers the full lifecycle of cryptographic keys and secrets, including creation, retrieval, rotation, and deletion. The skill also details how to perform cryptographic operations like encryption, decryption, signing, and verification using the CryptographyClient, as well as best practices for authentication and security in Azure environments.

What it does

Initializes KeyClient and SecretClient for Azure Key Vault interaction.
Creates and manages RSA, Elliptic Curve, and symmetric keys.
Performs cryptographic operations including encryption, decryption, signing, and verification.
Handles secret lifecycle management including setting, retrieving, and versioning.
Configures key rotation policies and manual rotation.
Supports backup and restoration of keys and secrets.

When to use it

When you need to integrate Azure Key Vault into a Node.js application.
When you require secure storage for application secrets or connection strings.
When your application needs to perform cryptographic operations without exposing raw keys.
When you need to automate key rotation or manage key lifecycle policies.

Advantages

Provides native TypeScript support for Azure Key Vault operations.
Simplifies complex cryptographic tasks through the CryptographyClient.
Integrates seamlessly with Azure Identity for secure authentication.
Supports advanced features like HSM-backed keys and soft-delete recovery.

Usage examples

“How do I create a new RSA key in Azure Key Vault using the TypeScript SDK?”: The agent provides the code snippet using keyClient.createRsaKey, including options for key size and attributes.
“Show me how to encrypt a message using a key stored in Azure Key Vault.”: The agent demonstrates initializing a CryptographyClient with a key ID and calling the encrypt method with the desired algorithm.
“How can I set a secret in Azure Key Vault with an expiration date?”: The agent provides an example using secretClient.setSecret with an options object containing the expiresOn property.
“What is the best way to authenticate my Node.js app to Key Vault?”: The agent explains using DefaultAzureCredential for local development and ManagedIdentityCredential for production environments.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/azure-keyvault-keys-ts/download

Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip azure-keyvault-keys-ts.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Microsoft

Azure Key Vault Keys SDK for TypeScript

Manage cryptographic keys with Azure Key Vault.

Installation

# Keys SDK
npm install @azure/keyvault-keys @azure/identity

Environment Variables

KEY_VAULT_URL=https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net
# Or
AZURE_KEYVAULT_NAME=<vault-name>
AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod # Required only if DefaultAzureCredential is used in production

Authentication

import { DefaultAzureCredential, ManagedIdentityCredential } from "@azure/identity";
import { KeyClient, CryptographyClient } from "@azure/keyvault-keys";

// Local dev: DefaultAzureCredential. Production: set AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod or AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>
const credential = new DefaultAzureCredential({requiredEnvVars: ["AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS"]});
// Or use a specific credential directly in production:
// See https://learn.microsoft.com/javascript/api/overview/azure/identity-readme?view=azure-node-latest#credential-classes
// const credential = new ManagedIdentityCredential();
const vaultUrl = `https://${process.env.AZURE_KEYVAULT_NAME}.vault.azure.net`;

const keyClient = new KeyClient(vaultUrl, credential);
const secretClient = new SecretClient(vaultUrl, credential);

Secrets Operations

Create/Set Secret

const secret = await secretClient.setSecret("MySecret", "secret-value");

// With attributes
const secretWithAttrs = await secretClient.setSecret("MySecret", "value", {
  enabled: true,
  expiresOn: new Date("2025-12-31"),
  contentType: "application/json",
  tags: { environment: "production" }
});

Get Secret

// Get latest version
const secret = await secretClient.getSecret("MySecret");
console.log(secret.value);

// Get specific version
const specificSecret = await secretClient.getSecret("MySecret", {
  version: secret.properties.version
});

List Secrets

for await (const secretProperties of secretClient.listPropertiesOfSecrets()) {
  console.log(secretProperties.name);
}

// List versions
for await (const version of secretClient.listPropertiesOfSecretVersions("MySecret")) {
  console.log(version.version);
}

Delete Secret

// Soft delete
const deletePoller = await secretClient.beginDeleteSecret("MySecret");
await deletePoller.pollUntilDone();

// Purge (permanent)
await secretClient.purgeDeletedSecret("MySecret");

// Recover
const recoverPoller = await secretClient.beginRecoverDeletedSecret("MySecret");
await recoverPoller.pollUntilDone();

Keys Operations

Create Keys

// Generic key
const key = await keyClient.createKey("MyKey", "RSA");

// RSA key with size
const rsaKey = await keyClient.createRsaKey("MyRsaKey", { keySize: 2048 });

// Elliptic Curve key
const ecKey = await keyClient.createEcKey("MyEcKey", { curve: "P-256" });

// With attributes
const keyWithAttrs = await keyClient.createKey("MyKey", "RSA", {
  enabled: true,
  expiresOn: new Date("2025-12-31"),
  tags: { purpose: "encryption" },
  keyOps: ["encrypt", "decrypt", "sign", "verify"]
});

Get Key

const key = await keyClient.getKey("MyKey");
console.log(key.name, key.keyType);

List Keys

for await (const keyProperties of keyClient.listPropertiesOfKeys()) {
  console.log(keyProperties.name);
}

Rotate Key

// Manual rotation
const rotatedKey = await keyClient.rotateKey("MyKey");

// Set rotation policy
await keyClient.updateKeyRotationPolicy("MyKey", {
  lifetimeActions: [{ action: "Rotate", timeBeforeExpiry: "P30D" }],
  expiresIn: "P90D"
});

Delete Key

const deletePoller = await keyClient.beginDeleteKey("MyKey");
await deletePoller.pollUntilDone();

// Purge
await keyClient.purgeDeletedKey("MyKey");

Cryptographic Operations

Create CryptographyClient

import { CryptographyClient } from "@azure/keyvault-keys";

// From key object
const cryptoClient = new CryptographyClient(key, credential);

// From key ID
const cryptoClient = new CryptographyClient(key.id!, credential);

Encrypt/Decrypt

// Encrypt
const encryptResult = await cryptoClient.encrypt({
  algorithm: "RSA-OAEP",
  plaintext: Buffer.from("My secret message")
});

// Decrypt
const decryptResult = await cryptoClient.decrypt({
  algorithm: "RSA-OAEP",
  ciphertext: encryptResult.result
});

console.log(decryptResult.result.toString());

Sign/Verify

import { createHash } from "node:crypto";

// Create digest
const hash = createHash("sha256").update("My message").digest();

// Sign
const signResult = await cryptoClient.sign("RS256", hash);

// Verify
const verifyResult = await cryptoClient.verify("RS256", hash, signResult.result);
console.log("Valid:", verifyResult.result);

Wrap/Unwrap Keys

// Wrap a key (encrypt it for storage)
const wrapResult = await cryptoClient.wrapKey("RSA-OAEP", Buffer.from("key-material"));

// Unwrap
const unwrapResult = await cryptoClient.unwrapKey("RSA-OAEP", wrapResult.result);

Backup and Restore

// Backup
const keyBackup = await keyClient.backupKey("MyKey");
const secretBackup = await secretClient.backupSecret("MySecret");

// Restore (can restore to different vault)
const restoredKey = await keyClient.restoreKeyBackup(keyBackup!);
const restoredSecret = await secretClient.restoreSecretBackup(secretBackup!);

Key Types

import {
  KeyClient,
  KeyVaultKey,
  KeyProperties,
  DeletedKey,
  CryptographyClient,
  KnownEncryptionAlgorithms,
  KnownSignatureAlgorithms
} from "@azure/keyvault-keys";

import {
  SecretClient,
  KeyVaultSecret,
  SecretProperties,
  DeletedSecret
} from "@azure/keyvault-secrets";

Error Handling

try {
  const secret = await secretClient.getSecret("NonExistent");
} catch (error: any) {
  if (error.code === "SecretNotFound") {
    console.log("Secret does not exist");
  } else {
    throw error;
  }
}

Best Practices

Use DefaultAzureCredential for local development; use ManagedIdentityCredential or WorkloadIdentityCredential for production
Enable soft-delete - Required for production vaults
Set expiration dates - On both keys and secrets
Use key rotation policies - Automate key rotation
Limit key operations - Only grant needed operations (encrypt, sign, etc.)
Browser not supported - These SDKs are Node.js only

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer985 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
SKILL.md6.6 KiB
references/keys.md11.8 KiB
references/secrets.md13.3 KiB

references/keys.md

Keys Reference

Cryptographic key management and operations using @azure/keyvault-keys SDK.

Overview

The Key Vault Keys SDK provides two main clients:

KeyClient - CRUD operations for keys (create, get, list, rotate, delete)
CryptographyClient - Cryptographic operations using keys (encrypt, decrypt, sign, verify, wrap, unwrap)

Core Types

import {
  KeyClient,
  CryptographyClient,
  KeyVaultKey,
  KeyProperties,
  DeletedKey,
  KeyRotationPolicy,
  KeyRotationPolicyProperties,
  KeyRotationLifetimeAction,
  CreateKeyOptions,
  CreateRsaKeyOptions,
  CreateEcKeyOptions,
  EncryptParameters,
  DecryptParameters,
  SignResult,
  VerifyResult,
  WrapResult,
  UnwrapResult,
  KnownEncryptionAlgorithms,
  KnownSignatureAlgorithms,
  KnownKeyTypes,
  KnownKeyCurveNames
} from "@azure/keyvault-keys";

KeyClient Initialization

import { KeyClient } from "@azure/keyvault-keys";
import { DefaultAzureCredential } from "@azure/identity";

const vaultUrl = `https://${process.env.AZURE_KEYVAULT_NAME}.vault.azure.net`;
const credential = new DefaultAzureCredential();

const keyClient = new KeyClient(vaultUrl, credential);

Creating Keys

RSA Keys

// Basic RSA key (default 2048-bit)
const rsaKey = await keyClient.createRsaKey("my-rsa-key");

// RSA key with specific size
const rsaKey2048 = await keyClient.createRsaKey("my-rsa-2048", {
  keySize: 2048
});

const rsaKey4096 = await keyClient.createRsaKey("my-rsa-4096", {
  keySize: 4096
});

// RSA-HSM (Hardware Security Module backed)
const rsaHsmKey = await keyClient.createRsaKey("my-rsa-hsm", {
  keySize: 2048,
  hsm: true  // Requires Premium vault
});

Elliptic Curve Keys

// P-256 curve (default)
const ecKey = await keyClient.createEcKey("my-ec-key");

// Specific curves
const ecKeyP256 = await keyClient.createEcKey("my-ec-p256", {
  curve: "P-256"
});

const ecKeyP384 = await keyClient.createEcKey("my-ec-p384", {
  curve: "P-384"
});

const ecKeyP521 = await keyClient.createEcKey("my-ec-p521", {
  curve: "P-521"
});

// EC-HSM
const ecHsmKey = await keyClient.createEcKey("my-ec-hsm", {
  curve: "P-256",
  hsm: true
});

Oct Keys (Symmetric)

// Symmetric key for wrap/unwrap operations
const octKey = await keyClient.createOctKey("my-oct-key", {
  keySize: 256  // 128, 192, or 256 bits
});

// Oct-HSM
const octHsmKey = await keyClient.createOctKey("my-oct-hsm", {
  keySize: 256,
  hsm: true
});

Generic Create with Options

const key = await keyClient.createKey("my-key", "RSA", {
  keySize: 2048,
  enabled: true,
  expiresOn: new Date("2025-12-31"),
  notBefore: new Date("2024-01-01"),
  tags: {
    environment: "production",
    application: "my-app"
  },
  keyOps: ["encrypt", "decrypt", "sign", "verify", "wrapKey", "unwrapKey"],
  exportable: false,
  releasePolicy: undefined  // For Managed HSM key release
});

Key Operations

Get Key

// Get latest version
const key = await keyClient.getKey("my-key");
console.log(`Key: ${key.name}, Type: ${key.keyType}, ID: ${key.id}`);

// Get specific version
const keyVersion = await keyClient.getKey("my-key", {
  version: "abc123..."
});

List Keys

// List all keys (properties only, not key material)
for await (const keyProperties of keyClient.listPropertiesOfKeys()) {
  console.log(`Key: ${keyProperties.name}, Created: ${keyProperties.createdOn}`);
}

// List all versions of a key
for await (const version of keyClient.listPropertiesOfKeyVersions("my-key")) {
  console.log(`Version: ${version.version}, Enabled: ${version.enabled}`);
}

// List deleted keys (soft-delete enabled vaults)
for await (const deletedKey of keyClient.listDeletedKeys()) {
  console.log(`Deleted: ${deletedKey.name}, Scheduled purge: ${deletedKey.scheduledPurgeDate}`);
}

Update Key Properties

const updated = await keyClient.updateKeyProperties("my-key", {
  enabled: false,
  expiresOn: new Date("2026-12-31"),
  tags: { status: "deprecated" }
});

// Update specific version
const updatedVersion = await keyClient.updateKeyProperties("my-key", "version-id", {
  enabled: true
});

Import Key

import { JsonWebKey } from "@azure/keyvault-keys";

// Import existing key material
const jwk: JsonWebKey = {
  kty: "RSA",
  n: Buffer.from("...modulus..."),
  e: Buffer.from("...exponent..."),
  d: Buffer.from("...private exponent..."),  // Optional for public key
  // ... other RSA parameters
};

const importedKey = await keyClient.importKey("imported-key", jwk, {
  hardwareProtected: false  // true for HSM
});

Key Rotation

Manual Rotation

// Creates new version, previous versions remain valid
const rotatedKey = await keyClient.rotateKey("my-key");
console.log(`New version: ${rotatedKey.properties.version}`);

Rotation Policy

// Get current policy
const policy = await keyClient.getKeyRotationPolicy("my-key");

// Update rotation policy
const updatedPolicy = await keyClient.updateKeyRotationPolicy("my-key", {
  expiresIn: "P90D",  // ISO 8601 duration - key expires 90 days after creation
  lifetimeActions: [
    {
      action: "Rotate",
      timeAfterCreate: "P30D"  // Auto-rotate 30 days after creation
    },
    {
      action: "Notify",
      timeBeforeExpiry: "P7D"  // Notify 7 days before expiry
    }
  ]
});

// Rotation policy with multiple actions
const complexPolicy = await keyClient.updateKeyRotationPolicy("my-key", {
  expiresIn: "P1Y",  // 1 year
  lifetimeActions: [
    { action: "Rotate", timeAfterCreate: "P90D" },  // Rotate every 90 days
    { action: "Notify", timeBeforeExpiry: "P30D" }  // Notify 30 days before expiry
  ]
});

ISO 8601 Duration Format

Duration	Meaning
`P30D`	30 days
`P90D`	90 days
`P1Y`	1 year
`P6M`	6 months
`P1Y6M`	1 year 6 months

Key Deletion and Recovery

Soft Delete (Default)

// Begin delete (returns poller for long-running operation)
const deletePoller = await keyClient.beginDeleteKey("my-key");

// Wait for deletion to complete
const deletedKey = await deletePoller.pollUntilDone();
console.log(`Deleted: ${deletedKey.name}, Recovery ID: ${deletedKey.recoveryId}`);

// Get deleted key info
const deleted = await keyClient.getDeletedKey("my-key");

// Recover deleted key
const recoverPoller = await keyClient.beginRecoverDeletedKey("my-key");
const recoveredKey = await recoverPoller.pollUntilDone();

// Permanently delete (purge) - irreversible
await keyClient.purgeDeletedKey("my-key");

Immediate Deletion (Non-blocking)

// Start deletion without waiting
const poller = await keyClient.beginDeleteKey("my-key");

// Check status periodically
while (!poller.isDone()) {
  await poller.poll();
  console.log(`State: ${poller.getOperationState().status}`);
  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
}

CryptographyClient

Initialization

import { CryptographyClient } from "@azure/keyvault-keys";

// From KeyVaultKey object
const key = await keyClient.getKey("my-key");
const cryptoClient = new CryptographyClient(key, credential);

// From key ID (URL)
const cryptoClientFromId = new CryptographyClient(
  "https://my-vault.vault.azure.net/keys/my-key/version",
  credential
);

// From key ID without version (uses latest)
const cryptoClientLatest = new CryptographyClient(
  "https://my-vault.vault.azure.net/keys/my-key",
  credential
);

Encrypt / Decrypt

// RSA encryption
const plaintext = Buffer.from("Secret message");

// Encrypt with RSA-OAEP
const encryptResult = await cryptoClient.encrypt({
  algorithm: "RSA-OAEP",
  plaintext
});

console.log(`Encrypted (${encryptResult.result.length} bytes)`);

// Decrypt
const decryptResult = await cryptoClient.decrypt({
  algorithm: "RSA-OAEP",
  ciphertext: encryptResult.result
});

console.log(`Decrypted: ${decryptResult.result.toString()}`);

Encryption Algorithms

Algorithm	Key Type	Description
`RSA1_5`	RSA	RSA with PKCS#1 v1.5 padding
`RSA-OAEP`	RSA	RSA with OAEP padding (SHA-1)
`RSA-OAEP-256`	RSA	RSA with OAEP padding (SHA-256)
`A128GCM`	oct	AES-128-GCM
`A192GCM`	oct	AES-192-GCM
`A256GCM`	oct	AES-256-GCM
`A128CBC`	oct	AES-128-CBC
`A192CBC`	oct	AES-192-CBC
`A256CBC`	oct	AES-256-CBC

Sign / Verify

import { createHash } from "node:crypto";

// Create SHA-256 hash of data to sign
const data = Buffer.from("Data to sign");
const hash = createHash("sha256").update(data).digest();

// Sign with RSA key
const signResult = await cryptoClient.sign("RS256", hash);
console.log(`Signature (${signResult.result.length} bytes)`);

// Verify signature
const verifyResult = await cryptoClient.verify("RS256", hash, signResult.result);
console.log(`Valid: ${verifyResult.result}`);

// Sign data directly (SDK computes hash)
const signDataResult = await cryptoClient.signData("RS256", data);
const verifyDataResult = await cryptoClient.verifyData("RS256", data, signDataResult.result);

Signature Algorithms

Algorithm	Key Type	Hash	Description
`RS256`	RSA	SHA-256	RSASSA-PKCS1-v1_5
`RS384`	RSA	SHA-384	RSASSA-PKCS1-v1_5
`RS512`	RSA	SHA-512	RSASSA-PKCS1-v1_5
`PS256`	RSA	SHA-256	RSASSA-PSS
`PS384`	RSA	SHA-384	RSASSA-PSS
`PS512`	RSA	SHA-512	RSASSA-PSS
`ES256`	EC P-256	SHA-256	ECDSA
`ES384`	EC P-384	SHA-384	ECDSA
`ES512`	EC P-521	SHA-512	ECDSA

Wrap / Unwrap Keys

// Key encryption key (KEK) wraps another key
const keyMaterial = Buffer.from("32-byte-key-material-here!!!!!");  // 32 bytes for AES-256

// Wrap (encrypt) the key material
const wrapResult = await cryptoClient.wrapKey("RSA-OAEP", keyMaterial);
console.log(`Wrapped key (${wrapResult.result.length} bytes)`);

// Unwrap (decrypt) the key material
const unwrapResult = await cryptoClient.unwrapKey("RSA-OAEP", wrapResult.result);
console.log(`Unwrapped: ${unwrapResult.result.length} bytes`);

Backup and Restore

// Backup key (returns encrypted blob)
const backup = await keyClient.backupKey("my-key");
if (backup) {
  // Store backup securely (e.g., blob storage)
  console.log(`Backup size: ${backup.length} bytes`);
}

// Restore key (can restore to different vault in same region/subscription)
const restoredKey = await keyClient.restoreKeyBackup(backup!);
console.log(`Restored: ${restoredKey.name}`);

Error Handling

import { RestError } from "@azure/core-rest-pipeline";

try {
  const key = await keyClient.getKey("non-existent-key");
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof RestError) {
    switch (error.statusCode) {
      case 404:
        console.log("Key not found");
        break;
      case 403:
        console.log("Access denied - check RBAC permissions");
        break;
      case 409:
        console.log("Conflict - key already exists or is being deleted");
        break;
      default:
        console.log(`Error ${error.statusCode}: ${error.message}`);
    }
  }
  throw error;
}

Best Practices

Use managed identity in production - DefaultAzureCredential handles this automatically
Enable soft-delete and purge protection - Required for production vaults
Set key expiration - Use expiresOn to enforce key lifecycle
Use rotation policies - Automate key rotation for security compliance
Limit key operations - Only grant needed operations (keyOps)
Use HSM for sensitive keys - Hardware protection for critical cryptographic material
Backup keys before deletion - Soft-delete has retention limits
Use specific key versions - Pin to versions in production for stability

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs Node.js

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by

Microsoft

Publisher

Microsoft (Official)

Source

microsoft/skills · .github/plugins/azure-sdk-typescript/skills/azure-keyvault-keys-ts · commit 0696600

Licence

MIT License (redistribution allowed)

LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)

Synced

2026-11-09

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or Microsoft.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download azure-keyvault-keys-ts.zip

From the author

AutoGineer summary

What it does

When to use it

Advantages

Usage examples

Install

Documentation by Microsoft

Azure Key Vault Keys SDK for TypeScript

Installation

Environment Variables

Authentication

Secrets Operations

Create/Set Secret

Get Secret

List Secrets

Delete Secret

Keys Operations

Create Keys

Get Key

List Keys

Rotate Key

Delete Key

Cryptographic Operations

Create CryptographyClient

Encrypt/Decrypt

Sign/Verify

Wrap/Unwrap Keys

Backup and Restore

Key Types

Error Handling

Best Practices

Files

references/keys.md

Keys Reference

Overview

Core Types

KeyClient Initialization

Creating Keys

RSA Keys

Elliptic Curve Keys

Oct Keys (Symmetric)

Generic Create with Options

Key Operations

Get Key

List Keys

Update Key Properties

Import Key

Key Rotation

Manual Rotation

Rotation Policy

ISO 8601 Duration Format

Key Deletion and Recovery

Soft Delete (Default)

Immediate Deletion (Non-blocking)

CryptographyClient

Initialization

Encrypt / Decrypt

Encryption Algorithms

Sign / Verify

Signature Algorithms

Wrap / Unwrap Keys

Backup and Restore

Error Handling

Best Practices

See Also

Requirements and compatibility

Security

Attribution and licence

Related skills

Modal

Cloud Infrastructure Network Engineer

Deployment Validation Cloud Architect

Airflow Dag Patterns

Cost Optimization

Hybrid Cloud Networking

Download ZIP