“HashiCorp PAM” refers to the modern Privileged Access Management (PAM) approach that HashiCorp enables by combining two of its core products: HashiCorp Boundary and HashiCorp Vault.

🔐 What does HashiCorp PAM mean?

• HashiCorp does not sell a standalone PAM product. Instead, its PAM offering is built by integrating Vault (for secret management) with Boundary (for access and session management) into a modern, cloud-native PAM solution. ()
• Vault handles dynamic, ephemeral secrets—like tokens, SSH keys, database credentials—providing just‑in‑time credentials and automating credential lifecycle. ()
• Boundary offers identity‑based remote access, session control, and auditing: granting access via trusted identity providers (SSO/OIDC), enforcing least‑privilege, injecting credentials from Vault without exposing them to users, and capturing full session logs. ()

🚀 Why is this approach considered “modern PAM”?

HashiCorp’s modern PAM philosophy rests on five core principles:

1. Identity‑based, zero‑trust access – user access is authenticated via identity providers, not network IPs. ()
2. Just‑in‑time, least privilege access – credentials are short‑lived and injected per session. (, )
3. Automation‑first workflows – everything from provisioning to credential issuance is API/CLI/Terraform‑driven. ()
4. Session recording & audit logging – full visibility into privileged sessions for compliance and forensics. ()
5. Scalability across dynamic environments – designed for dynamic, multi‑cloud infrastructure with ephemeral hosts. ()

This model differs significantly from legacy PAM products, which often rely on static credential vaults, host agents, and manual policy control. ()

✅ Summary Table

TL;DR — Is HashiCorp PAM a product?

• No — it’s a modern framework built by combining Vault + Boundary for Privileged Access Management in cloud-native, automated environments.