Vaultwarden

Vaultwarden is an alternative server implementation of the Bitwarden API, designed to be lightweight and easy to run while remaining compatible with official Bitwarden clients and browser extensions. It provides a self-hostable password vault with support for individuals and organizations, secure sharing workflows, and common Bitwarden features.

Key Features

• Bitwarden API compatibility for official desktop/mobile apps and browser extensions
• Web Vault UI (served by the server) for managing vault items in a browser
• Organizations and collections for team/password sharing
• Bitwarden Send compatibility (text/file sharing), depending on client features
• Support for attachments and icons, with configurable storage locations
• Multiple database backends (SQLite by default; optional MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL)
• SMTP integration for account verification, invitations, and notifications
• Optional admin panel (can be enabled/disabled) for server/user management
• 2FA support via Bitwarden clients (e.g., TOTP, WebAuthn/FIDO2 depending on client)

Use Cases

• Replace a hosted password manager with a private, Bitwarden-client-compatible server
• Run an internal password vault for a small team with organization-based sharing
• Provide a low-resource password manager for home labs, VPSes, and edge devices

Limitations and Considerations

• Not an official Bitwarden server; some enterprise/hosted-only features may be unavailable or differ
• Admin interface is powerful and should be carefully restricted and hardened when enabled

Vaultwarden focuses on being resource-efficient while keeping strong compatibility with the Bitwarden ecosystem. It is commonly deployed via Docker and fits well when you want Bitwarden client support without running the full official server stack.