What is Bitwarden used for?

Bitwarden is the Bitwarden server: the API, database and Docker-based infrastructure behind the Bitwarden password manager's client apps. It is a good fit for self-hosting a password manager for a team and running Bitwarden on private infrastructure.

Is Bitwarden open source?

Yes. Bitwarden is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at bitwarden/server and is written mainly in C#.

Yes. Bitwarden is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $1.65 per seat per month.

Can I self-host Bitwarden?

Yes. Bitwarden can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Bitwarden an alternative to?

Bitwarden is an open-source alternative to 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane and Keeper. Other open-source alternatives to 1Password include Vaultwarden, Padloc and KeePassXC.

Is Bitwarden actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Bitwarden was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2026.9.2, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 20k stars on GitHub.

Bitwarden: open-source alternative to 1Password, LastPass

About Bitwarden

Bitwarden is a password manager, and this repository contains its server side: the APIs, database and other core infrastructure that all Bitwarden client applications connect to. The code is written in C# on .NET Core with ASP.NET Core, and the database layer is written in T-SQL for SQL Server.

The server can be developed, built, run and deployed on Windows, macOS and Linux. For deployment, the project provides Docker containers along with PowerShell and Bash scripts that bootstrap an installation, and the images are published on GitHub Container Registry. The services include Admin, API, Billing, Events, Identity, Notifications, SCIM and SSO components.

Organizations that want to keep their vaults on their own infrastructure can follow the on-premise install guide in the Bitwarden help center, which requires Docker and Docker Compose. Bitwarden also runs managed cloud clusters in the US and EU. The repository lists its license as 'Other', so check the license files for the exact terms.

Key features

APIs used by all Bitwarden client apps
Identity, SCIM and SSO services
SQL Server database layer
Docker-based on-premise deployment
Install scripts for Windows, macOS and Linux
Admin and event processing services

Good fit for

→Self-hosting a password manager for a team
→Running Bitwarden on private infrastructure

Built with: C#; .NET; Docker
Tags: password-manager; bitwarden; self-hosted; dotnet; docker; security; sql-server; api

Bitwarden: questions and answers

What is Bitwarden used for?: Bitwarden is the Bitwarden server: the API, database and Docker-based infrastructure behind the Bitwarden password manager's client apps. It is a good fit for self-hosting a password manager for a team and running Bitwarden on private infrastructure.
Is Bitwarden open source?: Yes. Bitwarden is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at bitwarden/server and is written mainly in C#.
Is Bitwarden free?: Yes. Bitwarden is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $1.65 per seat per month.
Can I self-host Bitwarden?: Yes. Bitwarden can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Bitwarden an alternative to?: Bitwarden is an open-source alternative to 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane and Keeper. Other open-source alternatives to 1Password include Vaultwarden, Padloc and KeePassXC.
Is Bitwarden actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Bitwarden was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2026.9.2, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 20k stars on GitHub.