Authelia vs Vaultwarden
| Tagline | Self-hosted authentication server with TOTP, WebAuthn, and SSO | Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible server written in Rust, perfect for self-hosting |
| Category | Password Managers & Secrets | Password Managers & Secrets |
| Replaces | 1Password, HashiCorp Vault | 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane |
| GitHub stars | 29k | 65k |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 2/5 Easy |
| Deploy options | Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual | Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | today | 3 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
Authelia
- Not a password vault; does not store or generate passwords for websites
- Requires a reverse proxy to function; no standalone mode
- LDAP/AD integration configuration is complex for non-enterprise users
Vaultwarden
- Unofficial reimplementation; not supported or endorsed by Bitwarden, so API changes can break compatibility
- No official mobile/desktop apps of its own; depends entirely on Bitwarden's clients
- Some enterprise/SSO and event-logging features of paid Bitwarden are absent or only partially implemented
- You own all security hardening, backups, and TLS termination yourself
Bottom line
Choose Vaultwarden if you want the lower-effort setup; choose Vaultwarden for the larger community and ecosystem. Authelia has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Vaultwarden
Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible server written in Rust, perfect for self-hosting