Why it is recommended
Keep using the official Bitwarden apps (browser extension, mobile) while running the server yourself. It is very light and runs fine on a tiny box. But since it holds your passwords, , backups and updates are on you, hence the high difficulty. If that sounds like a lot, Bitwarden's own free plan is the safer pick.
Set it up with an AI agent
What you need
- An always-on computer or a small
- A way to reach it over (Tailscale or your own domain)
- and a
- Separate storage for backups
Half a day, including HTTPS and backups
- Choose your route first (Tailscale, Caddy, …)
- Paste the prompt below into a (it installs with per the official wiki)
- Set an admin token and daily automatic backups
Paste it into a coding agent such as Claude Code or Cursor. A ChatGPT chat window cannot run the commands.
I want to install Vaultwarden with Docker. Don't install yet; first explain: 1) Why the web vault requires HTTPS 2) A comparison of HTTPS options for my situation (home computer or VPS), e.g. Tailscale or a Caddy reverse proxy, with a recommendation Once I pick one, install it following the official vaultwarden wiki, and set up an admin token. Configure daily automatic backups following the backup guidance in the official wiki; ask me where to store the backups and how to encrypt them first, and walk me through a test restore at the end. Before you start, check for existing installs and port conflicts. Before each command, explain in one line what it does, and ask me first before anything that deletes, overwrites or exposes something publicly.
