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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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Vaultwarden Has a Free Self-Hosted Password Manager

#security #opensource #devops #selfhosted

Vaultwarden is a free, open-source implementation of the Bitwarden server API written in Rust. It lets you self-host your own password manager with full Bitwarden client compatibility.

What Is Vaultwarden?

Vaultwarden is a lightweight alternative to the official Bitwarden server. It implements the Bitwarden API, so you can use ALL official Bitwarden apps and browser extensions.

Key features:

  • Full Bitwarden client compatibility
  • Password vault with unlimited entries
  • Organizations and sharing
  • TOTP (2FA codes) generation
  • File attachments
  • Send (secure sharing)
  • Emergency access
  • Runs on minimal hardware (<50MB RAM)
  • Written in Rust (fast and secure)

Quick Start 

docker run -d \
  --name vaultwarden \
  -p 80:80 \
  -v vw-data:/data \
  vaultwarden/server:latest
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Open http://your-server. Create an account. Start saving passwords.

Use With Bitwarden Apps

All official Bitwarden clients work with Vaultwarden:

  • Browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge extensions
  • Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux apps
  • Mobile: iOS and Android apps
  • CLI: Bitwarden CLI tool

Just change the server URL in settings:

Settings → Self-hosted → Server URL: https://vault.yourdomain.com
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Enable HTTPS

With Caddy reverse proxy:

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  vaultwarden:
    image: vaultwarden/server:latest
    volumes:
      - vw-data:/data
    environment:
      - DOMAIN=https://vault.yourdomain.com

  caddy:
    image: caddy:2
    ports:
      - 80:80
      - 443:443
    volumes:
      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
      - caddy-data:/data

volumes:
  vw-data:
  caddy-data:
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# Caddyfile
vault.yourdomain.com {
  reverse_proxy vaultwarden:80
}
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Automatic HTTPS. Done.

Features You Get FREE

These features require Bitwarden Premium ($10/year) but are FREE with Vaultwarden:

  • TOTP authenticator (2FA codes)
  • File attachments (up to 100MB)
  • Emergency access
  • Vault health reports
  • Priority support equivalent

Vaultwarden vs Bitwarden

Feature Bitwarden Free Bitwarden Premium Vaultwarden
Passwords Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
TOTP No Yes ($10/yr) Yes (free)
Attachments No Yes ($10/yr) Yes (free)
Organizations 2 users Paid Unlimited (free)
Send Limited Full Full (free)
Self-host Complex Complex Simple
RAM usage 1-2GB 1-2GB <50MB

Resource Usage

Vaultwarden is incredibly lightweight:

  • RAM: 20-50MB (vs 2GB+ for official server)
  • CPU: Negligible
  • Disk: ~50MB + your vault data
  • Runs on: Raspberry Pi, $3/month VPS, NAS

Security

  • AES-256 encryption
  • Zero-knowledge architecture
  • bcrypt password hashing
  • Optional admin panel
  • Fail2ban integration
  • Audit logging

Backup 

# Simple backup — just copy the data volume
cp -r /path/to/vw-data /backup/vaultwarden-$(date +%Y%m%d)
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Or use the built-in backup feature in the admin panel.

Who Uses Vaultwarden?

With 41K+ GitHub stars:

  • Privacy-conscious individuals
  • Families sharing passwords
  • Small companies needing team password management
  • Homelab enthusiasts
  • Anyone who wants Bitwarden Premium features for free

Get Started

  1. Run one Docker command
  2. Set up HTTPS (Caddy/Nginx/Traefik)
  3. Install Bitwarden apps
  4. Change server URL to your instance

Full password manager for your family or team. Free forever.

Need to manage API credentials securely? Check out my web scraping tools on Apify — secure, managed scraping infrastructure. Custom solutions: spinov001@gmail.com

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