Local Password manager

Ask the Community Password Manager
,
1

Hi
I´m new on Bitwarden. I used another Password Manager but the program turned useless.
I have just a question.
Is it possible to store all my Passwords just locally and not storing them on a server?

Thanks for any help.

2

@Karl1 Welcome to the forum!

If your question is about Bitwarden, then the answer is no. The design of the Bitwarden code fundamentally requires a client-server architecture. However, it is possible to host your own Bitwarden server instead of relying on Bitwarden’s cloud servers.

Bitwarden does store a local cache of your encrypted vault data, so it is possible to access your passwords if you lose connection to the servers (or if you intentionally disconnect from the servers by disabling the internet connection of your device); however, in off-line mode, the vault is strictly read-only — you cannot add or modify any information in your vault unless there is a connection to a Bitwraden server.

1 Like
3

Hi Karl1.

If you have a self-hosted version of Bitwarden, theoretically and technically you would have a “local version” since you are the one who manages this “own instance”, and there would be no reason to be “online”.

If this idea of managing your own self-hosted server is complex, an easy way is to use Keepass - which is an open password manager.

  • ps 1: I refer here to KeepPass as an example, not as an alternative to Bitwarden. The reason for this, is that this issue is related to a feature that Bitwarden does not have.
  • ps 2: Generally, self-hosted srvidor works offline and on a local network.
4

Keepass, KeepassXC, and Password safe are local password managers that still get active updates.

1 Like
5

Keepass, KeepassXC, and Password safe are local password managers that still get active updates.

What you said is very interesting. Can you help me?

  1. One question, what is the difference between KeepassXC, Keepass and Password Safe?
  2. Where can I find technical information about the difference between these local password managers: KeepassXC, Keepass and Password Safe?
  • ps 1: I refer here to KeepPass as an example, not as an alternative to Bitwarden. The reason for this, is that this issue is related to a feature that Bitwarden does not have.
  • ps 2: Generally, self-hosted srvidor works offline and on a local network.
  1. Maybe it would be nice to have bitwarden locally as keepass instead of a self-hosted version. This first option could be interesting for people who want an alternative to Keepass or want bitwarden to work offline like Keepass.
  2. We add bitwarden as a plugin for Keepass. For example, there are feature requests to add bitwarden as a plugin for Keepass. This is interesting because in theory you could use keepass locally but with a self-hosted bitwarden cloud sync or the cloud version: Integrate Keepass with Bitwarden
  • I am not recommending Keepass or any password manager. I’m talking about features that could be implemented or discussed in Bitwarden.
  • I really enjoy the Bitwarden community and would love to contribute a lot with some ideas for the Bitwarden tool too. In this regard, I do not intend to infringe on any trademark or content rights of the Bitwarden community and the Bitwarden company.
  • When I mention Keepass or any password manager it is to reference certain features or functionality. For example, as far as I know only Keepass is a local password manager.
  • One interesting thing I thought would be that maybe this technical discussion is also included in android or not. For example, there might be users who download the bitwarden app and want it to work offline. This offline option could be optional in the android app or desktop version.
6

Keepass is written in C# so it targeted at Windows, though it can be used on Mac and Linux with Mono (which provides the functionality to run C# code). The file format is one of the well established formats and is used by a range of other password managers. For Android you can use KeepassDX, or Keepass2android. For iOS there is Keepassium and Strongbox.

KeepassXC is a community rewrite of Keepass in C++ so can be used natively on Windows, Mac and Linux. The file format is compatible with Keepass. They have progressed the interface some (though it is still quite “old school”. If you are not on Windows this is the better one to use as it has fewer issues than running Keepass with Mono.

PasswordSafe (pwsafe) is a different program, but similar. Very basic, passwords can be copy/pasted, autotyped or drag-and-drop. There is no browser integration. This has a great feature in that you can set up the password rules for each entry, so if you need to change the password frequently it is very easy (Keepass has some similar functionality, but not as good as Password Safe). Having no external interfaces makes its attack surface as small as it can be. Available for Windows, Mac and some Linux. The file format is also used across several password managers.

Technical information is on their websites.

1 Like
7

Many thanks for all the information on the differences of each local password manager.

8

Thanks for any reply. I don´t have a self hosted version of Bitwarden. Iwas using Roboform but when the trial is expired, there are anoying popup messages. I found Enpass, which is completely local host password manager.
For now it is working fine and free. I´m also using KeepassXC, but there is sometimes an issue with installed version and browser.
Maybe this will help someone.

Thanks for any help.

1 Like