bitwarden/server

Analysis updated 2026-06-21

★ 18,583C#Audience · ops devopsComplexity · 4/5Setup · hard

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Store passwords securely
      Sync across clients
      Self-host option
    Tech stack
      C# ASP.NET Core
      SQL Server
      Docker containers
    Services
      API server
      Identity server
      Admin panel
      Notifications
    Clients supported
      Browser extension
      Desktop app
      Mobile app
      Web vault

mindmap root((repo)) What it does Store passwords securely Sync across clients Self-host option Tech stack C# ASP.NET Core SQL Server Docker containers Services API server Identity server Admin panel Notifications Clients supported Browser extension Desktop app Mobile app Web vault

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Self-host your own Bitwarden password manager server using Docker to keep all password data on your own infrastructure

USE CASE 2

Connect Bitwarden browser extensions and mobile apps to your own hosted server instead of Bitwarden's cloud

USE CASE 3

Set up a private password management system for a team or organization with full data control

USE CASE 4

Extend or customize the Bitwarden API backend for enterprise authentication and single sign-on integration

What is it built with?

C#ASP.NET Core.NETSQL ServerT-SQLDocker

How does it compare?

	bitwarden/server	rocksdanister/lively	ppy/osu
Stars	18,583	18,802	18,333
Language	C#	C#	C#
Setup difficulty	hard	easy	moderate
Complexity	4/5	1/5	4/5
Audience	ops devops	general	general

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Requires Docker, SQL Server, and multiple coordinated container services, HTTPS and domain setup needed for full functionality.

In plain English

This is the server-side codebase for Bitwarden, the open-source password manager. It contains the APIs, database logic, and other backend infrastructure that all Bitwarden client applications, the browser extension, desktop app, mobile app, and web vault, communicate with. The server is written in C# using ASP.NET Core, a framework for building web applications on Microsoft's .NET platform. The database uses T-SQL and SQL Server. The codebase is designed to run cross-platform on Windows, macOS, and Linux. For people who want to host Bitwarden themselves (rather than using Bitwarden's own cloud), the project supports self-hosting via Docker containers. Docker is a tool that packages software and its dependencies into isolated containers that can run consistently across different machines. Helper scripts are provided for both Linux/macOS and Windows to download the containers and start them with a single command. The Docker images for individual services, including the API, identity server, billing, notifications, single sign-on, and an admin panel, are published to GitHub Container Registry and available for both US and EU production deployments. The repo includes extensive documentation links for setting up a local development environment and for deploying a self-hosted instance. Bitwarden is also actively hiring, with a link to their careers page in the readme.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Walk me through setting up a self-hosted Bitwarden server using Docker on an Ubuntu VPS, including getting HTTPS working with my own domain.

Prompt 2

What are the minimum system requirements to run a self-hosted Bitwarden server and how many users can it support?

Prompt 3

How do I configure the Bitwarden self-hosted Docker setup to use an external SQL Server instead of the bundled one?

Prompt 4

Show me how to migrate my existing Bitwarden cloud account vault data to a self-hosted Bitwarden server.

Prompt 5

How do I enable single sign-on for my self-hosted Bitwarden server so my team can log in with our company identity provider?

Frequently asked questions

What is server?

The backend server for Bitwarden, the open-source password manager, contains all APIs and database logic that power the browser extension, desktop app, mobile app, and web vault, with Docker-based self-hosting support.

What language is server written in?

Mainly C#. The stack also includes C#, ASP.NET Core, .NET.

How hard is server to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is server for?

Mainly ops devops.

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