Vaultwarden VPS Hosting — Self-Hosted Bitwarden from €12

Self-host Vaultwarden (Bitwarden-compatible) on a KVM VPS: Docker, free HTTPS, admin panel, closed signups, off-site backups. EU server, crypto accepted, from €12/mo.

Why Vaultwarden on a VPS

Password managers bill per user per year — forever — and the vault lives on the vendor's infrastructure. Vaultwarden is the same client experience on a server you control: the official Bitwarden apps point at your domain, the database is a single folder, and the bill is the flat VPS price. The security model does not weaken on your way to self-hosting: clients encrypt the vault before it ever leaves the device, so the server mainly stores ciphertext and hands it back over HTTPS. What changes is the administration — updates, backups and the front door are yours, which is exactly what the guide walks through.

What you get (and what stays work)

  • Every official Bitwarden client — extensions, iOS/Android, desktop: pick Self-hosted at the login screen, your domain, done.
  • Free forever — Vaultwarden is AGPL open source with no per-user fee; the only bill is the server.
  • Encrypted before it leaves the device — clients hold the keys; the server stores the vault blob and serves it over HTTPS.
  • You close the front door — an `ADMIN_TOKEN` guards the panel and signups flip off right after your first account.

Which plan fits Vaultwarden

SetupPlanWhy
Personal vaultCore VPS 4 — €12/moVaultwarden uses ~100–200 MB — the box stays free for other services
Family or small team, 5–15 loginsCore VPS 6 — €16/moStill tiny in resources — choose it when the VPS does more than passwords
Passwords plus a website, bots, databasesCore VPS 6 NVMe — €13/moNVMe keeps sync instant while the same disk serves your databases

Live in three steps

  1. Pick a plan and pay Card or crypto — USDT, BTC, TON. The server activates automatically after confirmation.
  2. Run the compose file Copy the tested `docker-compose.yml` with UFW and the admin token from our Vaultwarden guide — up in one `docker compose up -d`.
  3. Domain, HTTPS, close signups Point the A record, let Caddy issue the certificate, register your account — then set `SIGNUPS_ALLOWED=false` and keep the `ADMIN_TOKEN` somewhere safe.

Quick answers

Is self-hosted Vaultwarden as safe as Bitwarden cloud?

The encryption model is the same: clients encrypt and decrypt locally, the server never sees plaintext passwords. The difference is operations — Bitwarden the company runs audited infrastructure, while you run updates, backups and access control. Vaultwarden adds the guards you must turn on: the `ADMIN_TOKEN` and signups off after your first account. Keep the restic timer running and the honest risk shrinks to your own discipline.

What happens if the server dies?

The vault is one folder — `db.sqlite3`, attachments and config in `./data`. The restic guide pushes an encrypted copy off the server on a daily timer; restoring is a fresh VPS, the compose file and one restic restore. Clients keep working offline and resync when the new server answers.

Do I need a Bitwarden Premium subscription?

The server never needs one — Vaultwarden has no licence fee. Bitwarden Premium is a cloud-account upgrade (reports, some Send limits, extra organization features); plenty of it works against a self-hosted server too, but check the exact feature you rely on — a few are tied to Bitwarden's cloud services. For a personal or family vault the answer is: no subscription, just your VPS.

Passwords you actually own Flat VPS price, crypto accepted, vault live the same evening. See plans →

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