Self-Hosted Password Manager with Vaultwarden
Run a lightweight Bitwarden-compatible server at home and use the official Bitwarden apps on every device.
Vaultwarden is an unofficial, lightweight server compatible with Bitwarden clients. Your vault is end-to-end encrypted on your devices, and the server lives on your Pi.
This holds every password you own. Keep the Pi updated, use a strong master password with two-factor authentication, keep encrypted off-site backups and never expose it without HTTPS.
Video tutorial
Video by BTC Sessions, embedded from YouTube. The written steps below are our own and match the parts list.
Mission steps
Complete the Docker guide
Vaultwarden runs as a single container.
Provide HTTPS
Bitwarden apps require HTTPS. The simplest private option is Tailscale with its built-in HTTPS certificates.
Start the container
Run Vaultwarden with a data volume and an admin token, bound only to localhost or your Tailscale interface.
Create your account
Open the web vault, create an account, then disable new sign-ups in the admin settings.
Back up the data folder
Copy the data volume to another drive nightly — losing it means losing your vault.
Code
docker run -d --name vaultwarden --restart=always \
-e SIGNUPS_ALLOWED=true \
-v /srv/vaultwarden:/data \
-p 127.0.0.1:8080:80 vaultwarden/server:latest
# serve it privately over HTTPS on your tailnet
sudo tailscale serve --bg 8080Tip: test every script on the bench before installing it in a moving machine.
Questions
Is it official Bitwarden?
No. It is a community project compatible with Bitwarden's apps. For guaranteed support, use Bitwarden's official server or hosted service.