Migrate from Akeyless to OpenBao

Migrate from Akeyless to OpenBao: what moves cleanly and what needs rebuilding

Moving from Akeyless to OpenBao is an export, a re-creation and a client switchover, not a file copy. Static secret values can be read out and written into OpenBao key/value mounts, but rotated secrets, dynamic secrets and certificates have to be rebuilt as OpenBao engines and issuers, and every application, pipeline and gateway-connected workload has to authenticate to OpenBao with a method it can actually use. Usually the platform team owns the OpenBao side, the security team owns the PKI hierarchy and access policies, and application teams own their client changes, often with an external migration partner coordinating the cutover. Most of the effort and risk sits in three places: rotation targets that Akeyless updates on its own schedule, dynamic targets that must be redefined as OpenBao secrets engines, and client authentication, which is the step that breaks production when it is skipped.

Before any work starts, confirm with Akeyless how the export path works for your account and tenant, including which item types, versions and metadata it returns through its CLI or API, and whether any items are gateway-held rather than retrievable from the cloud control plane. Treat that answer as the input to your inventory, not an assumption. Then classify every item as static, rotated, dynamic, or certificate, and record which gateway and which client consumes it. Expect the rotated and dynamic classes to need new rotation logic in OpenBao, since OpenBao's dynamic secrets are generated per lease with revocation, which changes how consumers must handle expiry.

OpenBao is MPL 2.0 licensed and governed by a community under the OpenSSF, which matters if your renewal or licensing concern is about who controls future terms. Its migration guide is written for moving from HashiCorp Vault, so use it as a reference for OpenBao's behavior, not as an Akeyless procedure. Confirm with your migration partner which OpenBao version and deployment model you will run, and plan a parallel period where both systems serve the same secrets while clients are switched one group at a time.

Which Akeyless capabilities map to OpenBao, and which need rework

This table maps each Akeyless capability to its OpenBao counterpart and marks whether the move is clean, needs rework or is a gap. Read the migration note before planning cutover, because rework items need design time and gaps need a new architecture rather than a like-for-like copy.

Akeyless capability	OpenBao equivalent	Migration note
Static secrets and versions	Key/value secret engine, encrypted before it is written to storage	Clean. Read each item and its versions through the Akeyless CLI or API, then write them to KV paths. Confirm how much version history you need to keep.
Rotated secrets	No direct equivalent; rotation must be rebuilt as OpenBao engine behavior or external jobs	Needs rework. Confirm what the chosen engine supports, then rebuild each rotation target and test the new credential path before cutover.
Dynamic secrets for databases and Kubernetes	Dynamic secrets engines for systems such as SQL databases and Kubernetes	Clean where a matching engine exists. Confirm engine coverage for each target system, and recreate roles and grants in OpenBao.
Encryption as a service	Transit-style encryption as a service	Needs design. Keys cannot be exported from Akeyless as key material in every case, so confirm which keys you can migrate and plan re-encryption of data.
PKI and certificates	PKI secrets engine with a new certificate hierarchy	Needs design. Issue a new hierarchy, confirm engine support for your certificate types, and plan trust store updates on every client.
Auth methods	AppRole, JWT/OIDC, Kubernetes, TLS certificates, LDAP, Userpass and others	Needs rework. Map each Akeyless auth method to an OpenBao method, then switch clients one group at a time and confirm each method's behavior.
Access policies and namespaces	OpenBao policies and namespaces	Needs rework. Rewrite access rules in OpenBao policy syntax and confirm namespace layout before importing secrets.
Gateways	No equivalent. OpenBao runs as its own cluster inside your network	Gap. Gateway functions must be redesigned as OpenBao nodes, load balancing and network paths. Plan HA, storage and unseal before retiring any gateway.

What to export from Akeyless and which integrations to rebuild

Moving from Akeyless to OpenBao is a read-and-recreate job, not an import of an Akeyless file into OpenBao. Each card below is one inventory category you need to read out, rebuild or retire, and most of them need confirmation from the item owner before cutover.

Static secret values and versions

Static secret values are the simplest category to move, but each one is read item by item through the Akeyless CLI or API and written to an OpenBao KV path you design. Decide early whether version history matters to the owners, because only the values you actually retrieve will exist in OpenBao. Confirm the supported export methods and any rate limits with Akeyless before you plan batch sizes and the cutover window.

Rotated and dynamic secret targets

Rotated and dynamic secrets are not values you can copy. Each one is defined by a target, such as a database account, a cloud credential or a Kubernetes service account, plus a rotation or issuance policy. Inventory those targets and re-create them as OpenBao dynamic secret engines, then confirm with each owner which lease lengths and revocation behavior they expect.

Certificates and key material

Certificates and keys generally cannot be exported as trusted material without a deliberate decision. Issue a new PKI hierarchy in OpenBao, then re-issue leaf certificates and plan trust store updates for every client that pins or chains to the old roots. Ask the security owner whether private keys may leave Akeyless at all, and whether any key must stay under a separate custody model.

Client auth identities

Every application, pipeline and service that authenticates to Akeyless uses an auth method and an access rule that must be mapped to an OpenBao auth method and policy. Machine workloads usually map to AppRole or Kubernetes auth, and developer access to Userpass, as OpenBao recommends. List each identity, its current scope and its owner before you write any new policy, since the mapping is a decision, not a translation.

Gateway configurations to retire

Akeyless gateways hold local configuration, network paths and access rules for workloads inside your network. Document which gateway serves which environment and which clients reach it, then plan the order in which those clients move and the gateway is shut down. Confirm with Akeyless how gateway state and any cached data are removed so that no stale access path survives the cutover.

CI, Kubernetes and SDK integrations

Pipelines, Kubernetes operators, sidecars and application SDK calls all embed Akeyless-specific endpoints and authentication flows. Each integration must be rebuilt against the OpenBao API or its supported clients and tested in a non-production environment before any production switch. Keep a list of every integration, its owner and its test result, because these are the changes that most often break silently after cutover.

How the Akeyless to OpenBao migration runs in phases

The sequence moves Akeyless workloads to OpenBao in five controlled phases, so each secret, target and client is inventoried, proven in a pilot, reconciled in parallel, switched over with a rollback path, and then retired with evidence kept for your auditors.

Inventory every secret, target and identity
Build a register of everything Akeyless holds or touches: static secrets and their versions, rotated and dynamic secret targets, certificates and issuing paths, auth identities such as access IDs and their methods, and each integration with gateways. For every item, record the owner, the consuming applications and the environment. Your team and DeployOpen can review the register together. The step is done when every item has an owner, a consumer list and a planned destination in OpenBao, and the rework count is known. That count, along with the inventory size, is what determines the duration of the remaining phases.
Pilot with one non-critical application
Choose one application that is important enough to test real behavior but not critical to revenue or patient or citizen services. Export its static secrets through the Akeyless CLI or API, load them into a non-production OpenBao mount, and rebuild any rotation or dynamic secret target as an OpenBao secrets engine for that application. Configure an OpenBao auth method for the workload, such as AppRole for servers or Kubernetes authentication where workloads run in a cluster. The step is done when the application reads its secrets, a rotation completes in OpenBao, and the application starts with its new identity, with results recorded in a short pilot report.
Run both stores in parallel and reconcile
Keep Akeyless as the source of record while the migrated application set reads from OpenBao, or stage clients so that a small group reads from one store and then the other. Compare every migrated value and version against its Akeyless counterpart, and log any mismatch, missing item or rotation that fires in one system only. Check that certificates issued from the new PKI hierarchy chain correctly to the clients that trust them. The step is done when reconciliation reports show no unexplained differences for a full cycle of your rotation schedule and every exception has an owner and a fix.
Cut over clients in groups with rollback
Move clients to OpenBao in defined groups, starting with lower-risk workloads and ending with the most sensitive ones. Before each group switches, confirm its auth method, policies and rotation paths in OpenBao, and keep the previous Akeyless access available until the group is stable. Define in advance how each group returns to Akeyless if reads fail, and rehearse that path. Watch error rates and authentication logs after each switch. The step is done when every group runs on OpenBao, each rollback path has been tested, and the change record shows which owner approved each group.
Decommission gateways and archive evidence
Once no client depends on Akeyless, retire the gateways in your network, revoke Akeyless access keys and remove the associated network rules. Keep the Akeyless audit records, reconciliation reports, cutover approvals and PKI issuance history in an archive that your compliance team can retrieve, and confirm the retention period with your auditors. Update the asset register and runbooks so they reference OpenBao only. The step is done when gateways are removed, Akeyless credentials are revoked and confirmed as unusable, and the evidence archive has been checked by the people who will answer audit questions.

How to run Akeyless and OpenBao in parallel and cut over safely

Run Akeyless and OpenBao side by side for the whole migration, and decide before any client moves which system is the source of truth for each secret. Parallel running lets you move clients in groups, compare returned values and keep a working path back to Akeyless if a group fails. The first decision is ownership: for every static value, record whether Akeyless or OpenBao is authoritative during the overlap. Reconcile values before a client switches, not after. Compare the secret version the client currently reads with the version OpenBao serves, and confirm that certificates, key references and metadata such as paths and tags have matching equivalents. Where a value has changed in Akeyless since the copy was made, re-export it instead of trusting the earlier copy.

Rotated and dynamic credentials need one named owner during the overlap. If Akeyless rotates a database account while an OpenBao database engine also manages the same account, two systems will change the password and clients will fail unpredictably. Assign each account to exactly one system, disable rotation in the other, and document the owner in the migration inventory. Dynamic leases are easier to hand over because they expire, so let the old system stop issuing new credentials for an account before OpenBao starts issuing them for it. Confirm the rotation schedules and lease durations in your own configuration, since this guide does not assume them.

Switch clients in groups, with each group having a documented rollback. For a group, record the Akeyless auth method and the replacement OpenBao auth method, the configuration change in the client, the test that proves the client reads the expected value, and the exact steps to restore the previous configuration. Keep the Akeyless path working until every group in the inventory has passed its test and the owner of each secret has signed off. Retire gateways last. A gateway can only be removed when no client, pipeline or scheduled job still resolves a secret through it, so audit gateway access logs and configuration references for that condition, and treat any unexplained traffic as a blocker.

What drives Akeyless to OpenBao migration cost and duration

This table lists the factors that change the effort of moving from Akeyless to OpenBao, why each one matters, and how to keep it contained. Read it as a scoping checklist: the rows with the largest counts or the most client types usually set the schedule, so inventory them before asking for a quote.

Driver	Why it matters	How to keep it down
Static secrets and versions	Each static item must be read through the Akeyless CLI or API and written to OpenBao KV with its version history decided, so volume drives scripting and verification time.	Export only live versions that clients still read, and agree in writing which historical versions are kept.
Rotated and dynamic targets	Every rotated or dynamic secret target must be re-created as an OpenBao engine role with its own rotation or lease behavior, which is design work rather than copying.	Group targets by backend type, such as database or Kubernetes, and rebuild one pattern first to reuse it.
PKI scope and certificate lifetimes	A new OpenBao PKI hierarchy must be designed, issued and trusted by clients, and short certificate lifetimes increase renewal automation needs.	Decide the CA structure and lifetimes before migration, and keep existing certificates valid until their own expiry.
Client types and auth methods	Each Akeyless auth method, such as API keys, cloud identities or Kubernetes, must map to an OpenBao auth method, and every client type needs a tested change.	Inventory clients by auth method and move the largest group first, using AppRole for servers and Kubernetes auth where it applies.
Gateway count and locations	Each Akeyless gateway in a network segment or site must be traced to the workloads it serves before it can be retired.	List gateways with their consumers, then retire them in an order that follows the client cutover.
HA and storage design	OpenBao HA needs integrated storage (Raft) or PostgreSQL, a load balancer design and backup testing, which adds infrastructure and operator work.	Choose one supported HA backend the team already operates and test restore before cutover.
HSM or auto-unseal choices	Unseal material handling and any HSM integration decide who can restart nodes and how key custody is evidenced.	Confirm the unseal method and key custody model with your security team early, since it is hard to change later.
Team OpenBao operating skills	Staff who already run Vault-style policies and auth methods shorten the work, while a team new to the platform needs training and more review time.	Plan training and a parallel run with a named owner, and ask any partner to document runbooks as part of scope.
Akeyless subscription overlap	Akeyless fees continue during a parallel run, and the overlap length depends on how quickly clients and gateways move. OpenBao has no license fee, but Akeyless pricing follows its own quote and plan terms, which you should obtain directly from Akeyless.	Set a cutover date per client group and request Akeyless plan terms that match the planned overlap window.

How the move differs by estate size and starting point

A small team with mostly static secrets and few gateways usually finds the migration centers on exporting values and changing how clients authenticate. Most of the effort is reading each static secret and its versions through the Akeyless CLI or API, writing them into OpenBao key/value mounts, and then moving applications off Akeyless authentication to an OpenBao auth method. Gateways are often a small part of the picture, so retiring them is typically a short final step.

Export scope: Inventory static items and their version history before any writes, since not every version may need to carry over.
Auth method choice: OpenBao recommends Userpass for developer machines and AppRole for servers, so map each client to one of these or another documented method.
Storage choice: A single node with integrated storage (Raft) or PostgreSQL is often enough for a small footprint, but confirm the backup plan before go-live.
Gateway retirement: Confirm which gateways serve which workloads before shutting any down.
Dual running: Keep Akeyless read access during cutover so rollback stays possible.

Confirm with your team how many clients authenticate to Akeyless and which of them can change their auth configuration without a release.

What usually goes wrong when moving secrets off Akeyless

Most failed secrets migrations are not failures of the target platform. They come from overlapping ownership during cutover, dynamic credentials handled without their lifecycle, and clients or identities nobody recorded. The six risks below are the ones to plan against before the first secret moves.

Rotation running in two systems

During cutover, a rotated database or API credential can be rotated by Akeyless and by OpenBao, or by neither. Whichever system loses the rotation job first leaves consumers holding a password that is either stale or about to be replaced without notice. Before cutover, list every rotated item, name one system as the only rotator for each, and disable the rotation job in the other system before the new engine takes over. Confirm that the first rotation in OpenBao succeeds and that every consumer reads the new value.

Dynamic credentials revoked too early

Dynamic database users and tokens issued by Akeyless have their own lifetimes. If the old system revokes them while applications still hold leases, services fail mid-transaction. If OpenBao issues credentials for a shared role that spans environments, a leaked lease in development can reach production data. Map each dynamic target to a separate OpenBao role per environment, set lease durations deliberately, and let existing Akeyless leases expire on their own schedule rather than forcing revocation.

Certificate chains without a tested trust path

A new PKI hierarchy in OpenBao is only useful if every client, load balancer and service mesh trusts its root or intermediate. Certificates issued by the new chain can fail validation in clients that still pin the old root, or in clients that do not receive the full intermediate bundle. Before issuing production certificates, build a test chain, validate it from each client type, and confirm that revocation endpoints are reachable from the networks where clients run.

Clients still resolving through old gateways

Applications configured with Akeyless gateway addresses, or with DNS names that point at a gateway, keep working until the gateway is switched off, then fail without a clear error. Some clients also cache gateway endpoints in configuration files or container images. Inventory every client configuration that references a gateway, change each to the OpenBao address in a staged rollout, and keep the gateway running only until the inventory shows zero active connections.

Auth identities never inventoried

Akeyless access roles, API keys and cloud or Kubernetes auth bindings often accumulate over years, and many are attached to workloads nobody currently owns. When these are not listed, the OpenBao side ends up with missing roles and services that fail on first start, or with broad roles copied across. Export every access role and its bound workloads, map each one to an OpenBao auth method such as AppRole, Kubernetes or JWT/OIDC, and remove identities with no owner before recreating them.

Audit trails that break at the switch

Security teams usually need to show who read which secret, and when, across the migration date. If Akeyless audit records stop at cutover and OpenBao audit logging is not enabled on day one, there is a gap that auditors will ask about. Enable an OpenBao audit device before the first client connects, forward its logs to the same SIEM, and keep the Akeyless audit export as a dated archive. Confirm with your assessor which records they expect to see.

How much effort does an Akeyless to OpenBao migration take?

How long does an Akeyless to OpenBao migration take?

The duration depends mostly on the inventory: how many static secrets, rotated secrets, dynamic secret targets, certificates and client applications you have, and how many teams own them. No supplied figure gives a fixed duration, so treat any number you hear as a guess until your inventory is complete. Start by listing every item type and every consuming client, then confirm with Akeyless which export paths your plan and CLI or API version support. Ask a provider to base its timeline on that inventory, with phases for pilot, cutover and gateway retirement.

What does an Akeyless to OpenBao migration cost, and who gets paid?

OpenBao is licensed under MPL 2.0, so there is no license fee to pay for the software itself. The costs are the servers or cluster, storage, any optional HSM, backups, monitoring, the people who operate the platform, and the one-time migration work. Recurring costs are infrastructure and ongoing operations, while migration is one-time. Costs rise with the number of rotated and dynamic targets, certificate hierarchies and client applications to re-point. Ask any provider for a written quote that separates one-time migration from recurring support, and confirm your Akeyless exit terms, including any notice or contract obligations, with Akeyless directly.

Can an internal team migrate from Akeyless to OpenBao on its own?

A capable internal team can do it, provided it has someone who already understands Vault-style concepts such as policies, auth methods, leases and secrets engines. The OpenBao migration guide targets in-place upgrades from Vault Community 1.14.1, which does not match an Akeyless exit, so most of the work is a re-creation project rather than an upgrade. Plan for an operator who can run the cluster, a developer who can re-point clients, and a reviewer for access policies. Confirm the operator skills you need against the OpenBao docs before committing staff time.

What skills and staff time does the migration need from our side?

Expect demands on three groups: platform engineers to deploy and unseal OpenBao and set up high availability, application owners to test and switch each client to a new auth method, and security or compliance staff to review policies and evidence. Client switching is usually the largest share, because each application needs its own secret path and auth configuration. Name a single owner for each application and agree on a test window before cutover. Ask your provider which of these roles it will fill and which it expects you to cover.

Can OpenBao replace Akeyless PKI and the gateways?

OpenBao offers secrets engines and encryption as a service, but this source set does not confirm that it provides a PKI hierarchy equivalent to the one you run in Akeyless. Treat PKI as a separate design item: decide which root and intermediate authorities you need, where keys live, and how certificates are issued and revoked. For gateways, OpenBao replaces the role they play by running inside your network with its own nodes, so gateway retirement follows the cutover of clients. Confirm PKI engine capabilities, issuance workflows and revocation behavior in the OpenBao docs before you design the hierarchy.

How should rotated secrets be handled during the move?

Do not copy rotated secrets as static values and assume they will keep working. Each rotated secret has a target system, such as a database account, that Akeyless rotates on a schedule. Before cutover, decide whether OpenBao will rotate that target itself through a dynamic or static engine, or whether the rotation stays with a separate process. Test each target in a non-production environment and record which owner changes the credential. Confirm the exact engine and rotation options in the OpenBao docs for each target type.

What should a written scope for this migration include?

A written scope should name the inventory method, the item types in scope (static secrets, rotated and dynamic targets, certificates, auth methods and gateways), the target OpenBao version and deployment topology, the cutover approach, rollback steps, and the evidence you will receive. It should also state what is out of scope, such as application code changes or compliance attestations, which independent auditors issue. Ask for named deliverables, acceptance criteria and a timeline tied to phases. DeployOpen plans, implements and documents this kind of work in the client's own infrastructure and typically agrees the scope in writing before work starts.

How DeployOpen scopes, runs and supports the migration

DeployOpen plans and implements the move from Akeyless to a self-hosted OpenBao deployment inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. Each engagement starts from a written scope that covers secret inventory, engine design, client cutover and gateway retirement.

How we scope

We inventory static, rotated, dynamic and certificate items in your Akeyless tenant and record which clients read each one.
The written scope names the OpenBao engines, auth methods and PKI hierarchy that replace each Akeyless item type.
Engagements are fixed-scope, so scope, deliverables and timelines are agreed in writing before any migration work starts.

How we build

We deploy OpenBao in your environment, choose the storage backend and configure high availability and unseal handling.
We re-create rotated and dynamic secret targets as OpenBao engines and test each one against a non-production copy of your data.
We move clients to OpenBao auth methods in staged waves and verify each service reads its secrets after every change.

How we hand over

We document the final OpenBao layout, policies, auth configuration and PKI hierarchy so your team can operate it without us.
We provide a cutover record listing each migrated item, its owner, its validation result and any items left for later decision.
We walk your operators through the gateway retirement checklist and confirm Akeyless access is revoked once cutover is complete.

How we support

Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as a retainer after handover, with scope agreed in writing.
Upgrades follow the OpenBao release line you choose, and we test each upgrade against your clients before it reaches production.
Quotes follow from the written scope, so ask for the cost components, one-time and recurring items, and assumptions about your environment.

Migrate from Akeyless to OpenBao