One-Time Secret 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 | One-Time Secret | Vaultwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Password Managers | Password Managers |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,942 | ★ 68,080 |
| First released | 2012 | 2018 |
| Replaces | 1Password, Doppler | 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane |
What are One-Time Secret and Vaultwarden?
One-Time Secret
One-Time Secret is an open-source service for sharing passwords and other sensitive information through links that can only be viewed once. After the secret is read or expires, it is permanently deleted.
- Self-destructing secret links
- Optional passphrase protection
- Configurable expiration times
- Simple REST API
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
One-Time Secret vs Vaultwarden: key differences
One-Time Secret is written in Ruby, while Vaultwarden is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for One-Time Secret versus AGPL-3.0 for Vaultwarden. Vaultwarden is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for One-Time Secret. One-Time Secret is the more established project (first released 2012), while Vaultwarden arrived in 2018. Vaultwarden has the considerably larger community, at 68,080 GitHub stars versus 2,942.
Why pick each one
Choose One-Time Secret if…
- Great for one-off credential sharing
- Easy to self-host
Watch out for
- Not a long-term vault
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 One-Time Secret or Vaultwarden better?
Neither is universally better. Vaultwarden has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are One-Time Secret and Vaultwarden free and open-source?
Yes. One-Time Secret is licensed under MIT and Vaultwarden under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run One-Time Secret and Vaultwarden with Docker?
One-Time Secret: yes. Vaultwarden: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, One-Time Secret or Vaultwarden?
Vaultwarden has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for One-Time Secret. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.