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Self-host Vaultwarden

Password manager
prices checked · Jul 2026

Lightweight Rust reimplementation of the Bitwarden server that runs in 256 MB and works with every official Bitwarden client. The easiest way to self-host your passwords.

Key facts

CategoryPassword manager
LicenseAGPL-3.0
StackRust
Min RAM256 MB
Dockeryes
Difficulty

What you need

  • Any VPS with at least 256 MB of RAM
  • A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
  • Under an hour if you've used Docker before

Install with Docker Compose

Save this as compose.yml and run docker compose up -d:

# Vaultwarden — single container (put it behind HTTPS)
docker run -d --name vaultwarden \
  -e DOMAIN=https://vault.example.com \
  -v vw-data:/data \
  -p 8080:80 vaultwarden/server:latest
# WebAuthn/passkeys need TLS — front with Caddy or Nginx
vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

Head-to-head

Password managerJun 2026
Vaultwarden
vs
Bitwarden

The same clients, a fraction of the RAM.

Read the verdict →

More in Password manager

Password managerBitwarden
The official self-hostable Bitwarden server — full vendor support and enterprise SSO. Heavier than Vaultwarden, but the right pick when you need a supported, on-prem deployment.
C#SQL Server
moderateRead guide →

Common questions

How much RAM does Vaultwarden need?

Vaultwarden is designed to run in as little as 256 MB of RAM, making it one of the lightest self-hosted services around — a small, cheap VPS is plenty.

Can I self-host Vaultwarden with Docker?

Yes — it ships as a single container. Run docker run with your DOMAIN set to an HTTPS URL and a data volume mounted, and it's ready behind a reverse proxy like Caddy or Nginx.

Is Vaultwarden compatible with the Bitwarden apps?

Yes — Vaultwarden is a from-scratch Rust reimplementation of the Bitwarden server API, so every official Bitwarden client (browser extension, mobile, desktop) works against it unmodified.

Is Vaultwarden hard to set up?

It's rated the easiest difficulty tier of any self-hosted app here — a single Docker command gets it running, though you do need HTTPS in front of it for WebAuthn and passkey support.