Rubywarden vs Vaultwarden
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Vaultwarden
Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible password server
| Feature | Rubywarden | Vaultwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 11 · At risk | 100 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 587 | ★ 68,080 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Bitwarden, 1Password | 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane |
What are Rubywarden and Vaultwarden?
Rubywarden
Rubywarden is an unofficial, self-hosted server that implements the Bitwarden API in Ruby, allowing Bitwarden clients to sync against a private backend. It is a lightweight alternative server for personal and small deployments.
- Bitwarden-compatible API
- Works with official clients
- Lightweight Ruby stack
- SQLite storage
Vaultwarden
Vaultwarden is a lightweight, unofficial Bitwarden-compatible server written in Rust that works with all official Bitwarden clients. It targets self-hosters who want Bitwarden without heavy resource use. It is deployed via Docker.
- Compatible with all Bitwarden clients
- Tiny resource footprint
- Organizations and sharing
- Includes premium-equivalent features
Rubywarden vs Vaultwarden: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Rubywarden's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Vaultwarden is actively maintained. Rubywarden is written in Ruby, while Vaultwarden is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for Rubywarden versus AGPL-3.0 for Vaultwarden. Vaultwarden has the considerably larger community, at 68,080 GitHub stars versus 587. Vaultwarden lists first-class Docker deployment; Rubywarden does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Rubywarden if…
- Simple personal deployment
- Compatible with Bitwarden apps
Watch out for
- Explicitly experimental
- Not recommended for large teams
Choose Vaultwarden if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Works with official apps
- Easy to deploy
Watch out for
- Unofficial, community project
- Self-hosting security is on you
Frequently asked questions
Is Rubywarden or Vaultwarden better?
Vaultwarden is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Rubywarden if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Rubywarden and Vaultwarden free and open-source?
Yes. Rubywarden is licensed under MIT and Vaultwarden under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Rubywarden and Vaultwarden with Docker?
Rubywarden: check the project docs for container support. Vaultwarden: yes.