Rubywarden vs Yopass
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted password managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Yopass
Securely share secrets with encrypted one-time links
| Feature | Rubywarden | Yopass |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 11 · At risk | 87 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Ruby | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 587 | ★ 3,148 |
| First released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Bitwarden, 1Password | 1Password, Doppler |
What are Rubywarden and Yopass?
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
Yopass
Yopass is an open-source tool for sharing secrets in a quick and secure manner. Secrets are encrypted in the browser and shared via links that expire after a set time or a single view.
- Client-side encrypted secrets
- One-time and time-limited links
- Tiny resource footprint
- Memcached or Redis backend
Rubywarden vs Yopass: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Rubywarden's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Yopass is actively maintained. Rubywarden is written in Ruby, while Yopass is built with Go. Yopass is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Rubywarden. Yopass has the considerably larger community, at 3,148 GitHub stars versus 587. Yopass 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 Yopass if…
- Very lightweight
- No persistent database needed
Watch out for
- Focused on sharing, not storage
Frequently asked questions
Is Rubywarden or Yopass better?
Yopass 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 Yopass free and open-source?
Yes. Rubywarden is licensed under MIT and Yopass under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Rubywarden and Yopass with Docker?
Rubywarden: check the project docs for container support. Yopass: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Rubywarden or Yopass?
Yopass has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Rubywarden. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.