guide · #selfhost · 15 min

Self-Host a Password Manager with Vaultwarden

Cech Tech Reviews

Run your own Bitwarden-compatible password manager on Docker. Full control over your data, works with all Bitwarden apps, and costs nothing.

1. 1

   Pull and run the Vaultwarden image

   docker run -d \
     --name vaultwarden \
     --restart unless-stopped \
     -v ~/vaultwarden:/data \
     -p 8080:80 \
     vaultwarden/server:latest

2. 2

   Access the web vault

   Open /:8080 in your browser. Create your admin account. This is your master account for the vault.

3. 3

   Connect Bitwarden apps

   Install the Bitwarden app or browser extension. Before logging in, tap the settings gear and set the server URL to your Vaultwarden address (e.g., http://your-ip:8080).

4. 4

   Set up HTTPS (important for production)

   For local network use, you can use a reverse proxy like Caddy or Nginx Proxy Manager. HTTPS is required for browser extensions to work properly on some browsers.

5. 5

   Enable backups

   Your data lives in ~/vaultwarden. Set up a cron job to backup this folder daily:

   0 3 * * * tar czf ~/backups/vaultwarden-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).tar.gz ~/vaultwarden