The vault provides a convenient secure storage for passwords used to access MySQL servers. By using the vault, you need not enter credentials every time MySQL Workbench attempts to connect to a server. The vault is implemented differently on each platform:
Windows: The vault is an
encrypted file in the MySQL Workbench data
directory. This is where connections.xml
and related files are located. The file is encrypted using a
Windows API which performs the encryption based on the current
user, so only the current user can decrypt it. As a result it
is not possible to decrypt the file on any other computer. It
is possible to delete the file, in which case all stored
passwords are lost, but MySQL Workbench will otherwise perform as
expected. You then must re-enter passwords as required.
Mac OS X: The vault is
implemented using the Mac OS X Secure Keychain. The keychain
contents can be viewed using the Keychain
Access.app utility.
Linux: The vault works by
storing passwords using the gnome-keyring
daemon, which must be running for password persistency to
work. The daemon is automatically started in GNOME desktops,
but normally is not in KDE and others. The
gnome-keyring daemon can be used for
password storage in MySQL Workbench on non-GNOME platforms, but
must be started manually.