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Password management was a pain in the neck

· 2 min read
Naim LARIF
Naim LARIF
webmaster

For years, I've faced a persistent challenge with password management. Finding a solution that meets my security requirements without compromising on convenience seemed impossible - until now.

The Password Management Dilemma​

I've always been reluctant to use cloud-based password managers due to the inherent risks they present. Runtime password leakage vulnerabilities, costly subscription models, and vendor lock-in were all major concerns that kept me searching for alternatives.

My journey led me through various solutions. Keepass and its MacOS/iOS substitutes like KeepassXC and StrongBox synced on a Drive offered some relief, but they had limitations too. The convenience features I wanted like TouchID and FaceID integration, were always behind paywalls. While these tools worked, they never quite solved the entire problem.

Beyond Personal Use: Family Password Sharing​

As my digital life evolved, so did my requirements. I needed to share certain passwords with my wife like joint accounts, household services, etc.

Additionally, thanks to Guillaume from https://ourea.co/, I learned about an emergency access feature that allows my wife to access vital information if something were to happen to me. A feature I set up immediately.

These family-oriented features were either missing entirely from my previous solutions or implemented in ways that felt insecure or inconvenient. The fragmented approach to password management wasn't working anymore.

Self-Hosted Solution: VaultWarden on Synology NAS​

After extensive research, I finally found the perfect solution: VaultWarden, a lightweight implementation of Bitwarden that I could host myself on my Synology NAS.

This setup offers multiple advantages:

  • Complete control over my password data
  • No monthly subscription fees
  • One-click import of all your existing passwords from Keepass XML or Firefox/Chrome passwords
  • Secure password sharing with family members
  • Emergency access capabilities
  • Biometric authentication without extra fees
  • Data protection through my NAS's RAID configuration
  • Additional security through encrypted cloud backups (creating two protection layers)

Setting up VaultWarden was surprisingly straightforward thanks to an excellent French tutorial that I found: Auto-hébergement : installer Vaultwarden (Bitwarden) sur son NAS Synology.

The Docker container installation process was well-documented, and within an hour, I had a fully functional, self-hosted password management system that ticked all my requirements.

If you're struggling with password management and have a NAS at home, I highly recommend giving this approach a try. The peace of mind from knowing exactly where your sensitive data resides is invaluable.