Layer 3 · self-hosting reality check
What it actually takes to self-host Vaultwarden
The docs say 128 MB. In practice you want 512 MB. Here is the honest version — real requirements, real monthly cost, what you will be maintaining, and the one thing that catches people out.
Usually reached from 1Password alternatives, where Vaultwarden is one of the picks.
Wondering whether you need to at all? Is 1Password free? — what the free tier actually allows, and where the wall is.
| RAM — documented minimum | 128 MB |
|---|---|
| RAM — what it really needs | 512 MB |
| CPU | 1 vCPU |
| Disk | Under 1 GB unless you store file attachments |
| Monthly cost | $6/mo, and it will happily share a box with other small services |
| Setup time | 30 minutes including TLS |
| How you install it | single container behind a reverse proxy — HTTPS is mandatory, the clients refuse plain HTTP |
| Ongoing maintenance | Low, but the stakes are high. Update promptly when advisories land; this is your password vault. |
| Where it stops scaling | Hundreds of users on tiny hardware. It is a Rust rewrite of the Bitwarden server and it is extremely light. |
The thing that catches people out
Your backup strategy IS your disaster plan, and most people get it wrong. Losing the SQLite database plus the `attachments` and `sends` folders means losing every credential — the clients hold a cache, not a recoverable copy. Automate an encrypted off-box backup on day one and restore it once, to prove it works, before you migrate anything real.
When not to self-host Vaultwarden
You are not confident about running an internet-facing service reliably. A password manager that is down when you need a credential, or exposed because a reverse proxy was misconfigured, is worse than paying Bitwarden.
Every guide here carries this section. A site that only ever tells you to self-host is selling something — the useful answer is sometimes no.
Other Layer 3 self-hosting guides
Common questions
- How much RAM does Vaultwarden actually need?
- 512 MB in practice. The documented minimum is 128 MB, which is the figure at which the process starts rather than the figure at which it works under real use. 1 vCPU alongside it.
- What does self-hosting Vaultwarden cost per month?
- $6/mo, and it will happily share a box with other small services This is commodity VPS pricing and excludes your time, which is the larger cost for most people — budget for low, but the stakes are high. Update promptly when advisories land; this is your password vault.
- How long does it take to set up Vaultwarden?
- 30 minutes including TLS, via single container behind a reverse proxy — HTTPS is mandatory, the clients refuse plain HTTP.
- When should I NOT self-host Vaultwarden?
- You are not confident about running an internet-facing service reliably. A password manager that is down when you need a credential, or exposed because a reverse proxy was misconfigured, is worse than paying Bitwarden.
- What is the most common mistake when self-hosting Vaultwarden?
- Your backup strategy IS your disaster plan, and most people get it wrong. Losing the SQLite database plus the `attachments` and `sends` folders means losing every credential — the clients hold a cache, not a recoverable copy. Automate an encrypted off-box backup on day one and restore it once, to prove it works, before you migrate anything real.