Bitwarden Has a Free Password Manager — Self-Host Your Own Vault

#security #selfhosted #passwords #opensource

Bitwarden is the most popular open-source password manager with free personal accounts.

What You Get for Free

Unlimited passwords — store as many as you need
All platforms — Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions
Password generator — random passwords, passphrases
Autofill — browser extension fills login forms automatically
Secure notes — store API keys, SSH keys, license keys
2FA support — TOTP authenticator built in (premium)
Send — securely share text or files with expiring links
Self-hosted — Vaultwarden (unofficial, lightweight) runs on any server
Organizations — share passwords with 1 other user (free)

Quick Start

# Cloud: bitwarden.com (free personal account)

# Self-hosted with Vaultwarden (community, lighter)
docker run -d --name vaultwarden -p 80:80 \
  -v vw-data:/data vaultwarden/server:latest

Why Developers Choose It

LastPass had breaches. 1Password costs $3/mo:

Free tier — unlimited passwords on unlimited devices
Open source — audited code, no hidden backdoors
Self-hosted — Vaultwarden runs on a Raspberry Pi
CLI — bw get password github.com for terminal users

A developer stored passwords in browser and text files. After a colleague's LastPass vault was compromised in the 2022 breach, they moved everything to self-hosted Vaultwarden — encrypted vault, CLI access, and zero trust in third-party cloud storage.