OpenBao vs One-Time Secret
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
OpenBao
Open-source secrets management forked from Vault
VS
One-Time Secret
Share sensitive credentials with self-destructing links
| Feature | OpenBao | One-Time Secret |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,961 | ★ 2,894 |
| First released | 2024 | 2012 |
| Replaces | AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault | 1Password, Doppler |
Why pick each one
Choose One-Time Secret if…
- Great for one-off credential sharing
- Easy to self-host
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenBao or One-Time Secret better?
Neither is universally better. OpenBao has the larger community, while One-Time Secret is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenBao and One-Time Secret free and open-source?
Yes. OpenBao is licensed under MPL-2.0 and One-Time Secret under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenBao and One-Time Secret with Docker?
OpenBao: yes. One-Time Secret: yes.