azure-security-keyvault-keys-dotnet
Azure Key Vault Keys SDK for .NET. Client library for managing cryptographic keys in Azure Key Vault and Managed HSM. Use for key creation, rotation, encryption, decryption, signing, and verification.
Documentation
Azure.Security.KeyVault.Keys (.NET)
Client library for managing cryptographic keys in Azure Key Vault and Managed HSM.
Installation
dotnet add package Azure.Security.KeyVault.Keys
dotnet add package Azure.Identity
Current Version: 4.7.0 (stable)
Environment Variables
KEY_VAULT_NAME=<your-key-vault-name>
# Or full URI
AZURE_KEYVAULT_URL=https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net
Client Hierarchy
KeyClient (key management)
├── CreateKey / CreateRsaKey / CreateEcKey
├── GetKey / GetKeys
├── UpdateKeyProperties
├── DeleteKey / PurgeDeletedKey
├── BackupKey / RestoreKey
└── GetCryptographyClient() → CryptographyClient
CryptographyClient (cryptographic operations)
├── Encrypt / Decrypt
├── WrapKey / UnwrapKey
├── Sign / Verify
└── SignData / VerifyData
KeyResolver (key resolution)
└── Resolve(keyId) → CryptographyClient
Authentication
DefaultAzureCredential (Recommended)
using Azure.Identity;
using Azure.Security.KeyVault.Keys;
var keyVaultName = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("KEY_VAULT_NAME");
var kvUri = $"https://{keyVaultName}.vault.azure.net";
var client = new KeyClient(new Uri(kvUri), new DefaultAzureCredential());
Service Principal
var credential = new ClientSecretCredential(
tenantId: "<tenant-id>",
clientId: "<client-id>",
clientSecret: "<client-secret>");
var client = new KeyClient(new Uri(kvUri), credential);
Key Management
Create Keys
// Create RSA key
KeyVaultKey rsaKey = await client.CreateKeyAsync("my-rsa-key", KeyType.Rsa);
Console.WriteLine($"Created key: {rsaKey.Name}, Type: {rsaKey.KeyType}");
// Create RSA key with options
var rsaOptions = new CreateRsaKeyOptions("my-rsa-key-2048")
{
KeySize = 2048,
HardwareProtected = false, // true for HSM-backed
ExpiresOn = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.AddYears(1),
NotBefore = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow,
Enabled = true
};
rsaOptions.KeyOperations.Add(KeyOperation.Encrypt);
rsaOptions.KeyOperations.Add(KeyOperation.Decrypt);
KeyVaultKey rsaKey2 = await client.CreateRsaKeyAsync(rsaOptions);
// Create EC key
var ecOptions = new CreateEcKeyOptions("my-ec-key")
{
CurveName = KeyCurveName.P256,
HardwareProtected = true // HSM-backed
};
KeyVaultKey ecKey = await client.CreateEcKeyAsync(ecOptions);
// Create Oct (symmetric) key for wrap/unwrap
var octOptions = new CreateOctKeyOptions("my-oct-key")
{
KeySize = 256,
HardwareProtected = true
};
KeyVaultKey octKey = await client.CreateOctKeyAsync(octOptions);
Retrieve Keys
// Get specific key (latest version)
KeyVaultKey key = await client.GetKeyAsync("my-rsa-key");
Console.WriteLine($"Key ID: {key.Id}");
Console.WriteLine($"Key Type: {key.KeyType}");
Console.WriteLine($"Version: {key.Properties.Version}");
// Get specific version
KeyVaultKey keyVersion = await client.GetKeyAsync("my-rsa-key", "version-id");
// List all keys
await foreach (KeyProperties keyProps in client.GetPropertiesOfKeysAsync())
{
Console.WriteLine($"Key: {keyProps.Name}, Enabled: {keyProps.Enabled}");
}
// List key versions
await foreach (KeyProperties version in client.GetPropertiesOfKeyVersionsAsync("my-rsa-key"))
{
Console.WriteLine($"Version: {version.Version}, Created: {version.CreatedOn}");
}
Update Key Properties
KeyVaultKey key = await client.GetKeyAsync("my-rsa-key");
key.Properties.ExpiresOn = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.AddYears(2);
key.Properties.Tags["environment"] = "production";
KeyVaultKey updatedKey = await client.UpdateKeyPropertiesAsync(key.Properties);
Delete and Purge Keys
// Start delete operation
DeleteKeyOperation operation = await client.StartDeleteKeyAsync("my-rsa-key");
// Wait for deletion to complete (required before purge)
await operation.WaitForCompletionAsync();
Console.WriteLine($"Deleted key scheduled purge date: {operation.Value.ScheduledPurgeDate}");
// Purge immediately (if soft-delete is enabled)
await client.PurgeDeletedKeyAsync("my-rsa-key");
// Or recover deleted key
KeyVaultKey recoveredKey = await client.StartRecoverDeletedKeyAsync("my-rsa-key");
Backup and Restore
// Backup key
byte[] backup = await client.BackupKeyAsync("my-rsa-key");
await File.WriteAllBytesAsync("key-backup.bin", backup);
// Restore key
byte[] backupData = await File.ReadAllBytesAsync("key-backup.bin");
KeyVaultKey restoredKey = await client.RestoreKeyBackupAsync(backupData);
Cryptographic Operations
Get CryptographyClient
// From KeyClient
KeyVaultKey key = await client.GetKeyAsync("my-rsa-key");
CryptographyClient cryptoClient = client.GetCryptographyClient(
key.Name,
key.Properties.Version);
// Or create directly with key ID
CryptographyClient cryptoClient = new CryptographyClient(
new Uri("https://myvault.vault.azure.net/keys/my-rsa-key/version"),
new DefaultAzureCredential());
Encrypt and Decrypt
byte[] plaintext = Enc
Quick Info
- Source
- antigravity
- Category
- Security & Systems
- Repository
- View Repo
- Scraped At
- Feb 26, 2026
Tags
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