# Open-VaultConnection

Connects to the specified Vault Server.

## Syntax

```powershell
Open-VaultConnection [-Vault <String>] [-Server <String>] [-User <String>] [-Password <String>] <CommonParameters>]
```

## Parameters

```{eval-rst}
.. csv-table::
	:header: "Type","Name","Description","Default value","Optional"

	"String","Vault","The name of the vault for which the connection should be made ","Vault","yes"
	"String","Server","The Ip or hostname of the server on which the vault server is installed","localhost","yes"
	"String","User","A valid user, that is able to login to the target vault","Administrator","yes"
	"String","Password","The users password "," ““ ","yes"
```

## Return type

**empty** \<- On failure the Exception/ErrorMessage can be accessed using [\$Error](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_automatic_variables?view=powershell-5.1#error).

## Remarks

When the commandlet could successfully establish a connection to Vault,
following powershell variables are created which let you communicate
directly to Vault through it's API:

- [$vault](/code_reference/objects/vault)
- [$vaultconnection](/code_reference/objects/vaultconnection)
- [$vaultExplorerUtil](/code_reference/objects/vaultexplorerutil)

If the application already has an open Vault connection, the commandlet does not recreate a new connection, and **reuses the existing connection** to create the previous variables in the powerShell session.\
Therefore the cmdlet can be used e.g. in Vault-Explorer without any arguments, in order to prepare the powerShell Runspace with the correct powerShell variables for the current session.