Choose Kryptic over Azure Key Vault when developers need secrets on a laptop, not only Azure resources with managed identity.
Kryptic injects secrets through a local daemon. Log in once. After that, npm run dev, dotnet run, and F5 receive secrets over a local socket. The daemon, CLI, SDKs, and encryption engines are open source (GPL-3.0 and Apache-2.0). The server stores ciphertext it cannot open. Machine identities are unlimited and never consume a seat.
github.com/dev-krypticAzure Key Vault is the correct store for secrets, keys, and certificates that Azure services consume through managed identity. It is a weak place to start when the user is a developer who needs to run an API on a laptop.
| Kryptic | Azure Key Vault | Why it matters | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open source | OffersYes. Daemon and CLI are GPL-3.0. Encryption engines and SDKs are Apache-2.0, at github.com/dev-kryptic. The control plane is commercial. | Does notNo. Azure-hosted, closed source. | Anything that can see a secret in plaintext is published. You can verify the blind store without an NDA. |
| Blind store | OffersThe server stores ciphertext only. There is no decrypt path. | Does notAzure can serve plaintext to authorized identities. | A store that can decrypt values server-side can also be breached or compelled into decrypting them. |
| Self-hosting | OffersFull platform on Business and Enterprise. Docker Compose or Helm. | Does notAzure-hosted only. | Cloud is fine until compliance asks where the control plane lives. Then you need a product you can run, not a cluster you invent. |
| Nothing on disk | OffersDecrypted values live in daemon memory for at most five minutes, then inside the running process. | PartialLocal development commonly falls back to exported or synced files. | AI coding agents index the working directory. A .env on disk is one prompt away from a chat log. |
| Kryptic | Azure Key Vault | Why it matters | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily workflow | OffersLogin once, then npm run dev, dotnet run, or F5, including Visual Studio. | Does notAzure SDK, CLI, or a copied file. | Key Vault will not sit in your IDE. Kryptic will. |
| Microsoft SSO | OffersIncluded on Free. SAML and SCIM on Business. | PartialEntra is how you reach Azure, not a secrets product. | Developers sign in with Microsoft. They do not need a Key Vault and DefaultAzureCredential to run the app. |
| Windows | OffersNamed pipe, Credential Manager, tray app. | PartialAzure tools exist. Local secret files still show up. | Windows is a first-class Kryptic client, not an afterthought beside a Unix CLI. |
| Kryptic | Azure Key Vault | Why it matters | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSO on Free | OffersGoogle, Microsoft, and GitHub on every plan, including Free. | PartialEntra is a separate program. | You should not need an enterprise contract to stop sharing a password manager login. |
| Audit log on Free | OffersImmutable audit log on Free (7-day retention). Values are never logged. | PartialAzure Monitor, if you wire it. | An audit trail that waits on an upgrade is a sales page. |
| Machine identities | OffersUnlimited and free. They never consume a developer seat. | Does notPay for vault operations and Azure identities. | Every developer is followed by pipelines, previews, and pods. Billing those as seats makes the bill track infrastructure, not people. |
| CI/CD and Kubernetes | OffersMachine identities, CI export, REST API, and a Kubernetes operator on every plan. | PartialAvailable, often with identity or plan limits. | Production delivery should not be a different product from local development. |
Kryptic wrote this comparison. Azure Key Vault details are as advertised on its public pricing and documentation pages in September 2026. Products change, so check Azure Key Vault's current pages before you decide.
For developers who need local secrets. Key Vault is the native store for Azure resources. Kryptic injects secrets when you press run. Microsoft SSO is on Free. The clients that see plaintext are open source.
Yes. Microsoft SSO is included on every plan, including Free. SAML 2.0 and SCIM 2.0 are on Business and Enterprise.
The daemon, CLI, SDKs, and encryption engines are open source at github.com/dev-kryptic. The control plane is commercial.
Yes. Key Vault for Azure resources, Kryptic for humans and generic pipelines.
