bitwarden/clients

★ 12,827TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5Setup · hard

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((bitwarden clients))
    App types
      Browser extension
      Desktop app
      Web vault
      Command-line tool
    Tech stack
      TypeScript
      Angular framework
      Electron for desktop
    Architecture
      Monorepo layout
      Shared core library
      Per-app build process
    Contributing
      Open source
      Separate server repo
      Contributing docs

mindmap root((bitwarden clients)) App types Browser extension Desktop app Web vault Command-line tool Tech stack TypeScript Angular framework Electron for desktop Architecture Monorepo layout Shared core library Per-app build process Contributing Open source Separate server repo Contributing docs

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build and test a local version of the Bitwarden browser extension to contribute a bug fix or new feature.

USE CASE 2

Study the Electron desktop app architecture to learn how to ship a cross-platform desktop app using TypeScript and web technologies.

USE CASE 3

Run the Bitwarden command-line tool locally to automate vault operations and credential lookups in shell scripts.

USE CASE 4

Set up a full local Bitwarden development environment connecting your own self-hosted server to the client apps.

Tech stack

TypeScriptAngularElectronJavaScript

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Each app type has its own build process, and a self-hosted Bitwarden server is needed to fully test client changes.

In plain English

Bitwarden is a password manager that stores your login credentials, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information in an encrypted vault. This repository contains the source code for the client applications that users interact with directly: the web vault you access in a browser, the browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, the desktop app for Windows and Mac, and a command-line tool for power users and automation scripts. The iOS and Android apps live in separate repositories. All of these apps are built from TypeScript, which is a programming language commonly used for web and desktop interfaces. The desktop app uses a framework called Electron, which lets web-based code run as a native application on your computer. The browser extensions follow the standard Chrome and Firefox extension format. The repository is organized as a monorepo, meaning all four client types live together in one codebase and share common code. The company has separate contributing documentation that explains how to set up a development environment and build each app individually. Bitwarden separates its client apps from its server infrastructure, which runs the backend that handles account storage, syncing, and organization features. That server code lives in a different repository. There is also a separate directory connector tool for businesses that want to sync user accounts from corporate directory services. Bitwarden is an open-source company and welcomes code contributions from the public. The codebase is written primarily in TypeScript and uses Angular as the web framework for the browser-facing interfaces.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I cloned bitwarden/clients. Show me how to build and sideload the Chrome browser extension in developer mode so I can test my changes without publishing it.

Prompt 2

I want to add a UI panel to the Bitwarden desktop app. Explain the monorepo structure and show me which directories to touch to add a new screen in the Electron app.

Prompt 3

Using the Bitwarden CLI from bitwarden/clients, write a shell script that unlocks my vault, searches for all logins with a specific domain, and exports the results to a CSV file.

Prompt 4

I am contributing to bitwarden/clients. How does the shared Angular code work across the browser extension and the web vault so the same logic runs in both without duplication?

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