HackerReposA FIELD GUIDE TO OPEN SOURCE
ProSponsor the shelf♧ 0
← Back to top all-time
bitwarden
clients
TypeScript2016–2026
bitwarden / clients

clients

Bitwarden client apps (web, browser extension, desktop, and cli).

Command LineWeb DevelopmentMobile & Desktop
Explore on GitHubRead Hacker News discussions
56Distinct people
68Mentions
0Explicit recommenders
14.2KGitHub stars
REPOSITORY AT A GLANCE

What to know before exploring

What it is

Bitwarden client apps (web, browser extension, desktop, and cli).

GitHub

Where it is used

No documented product use was verified in the last source check.

What people are saying

No recommendation phrase was found in the indexed comments.

No classified warning is attached to this page. Read the discussions before treating silence as approval.

Also in these discussions

No other repository is repeatedly linked in the same discussions.

This week on Hacker News

Nov 8–Nov 15 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/15/2026, 8:03:49 PM UTC.

No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.

Mentions over time

HN mentions by year68 dated mentions

Observed mentions: 2016-10-10 17:59:06 UTC to 2026-08-13 19:41:04 UTC.

0510152016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 2 mentions; 0 submissions, 2 comments20162017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 5 mentions; 0 submissions, 5 comments2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 2 mentions; 0 submissions, 2 comments2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 4 mentions; 0 submissions, 4 comments2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 2 mentions; 0 submissions, 2 comments2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 8 mentions; 2 submissions, 6 comments20212022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 12 mentions; 0 submissions, 12 comments2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 13 mentions; 2 submissions, 11 comments2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 16 mentions; 3 submissions, 13 comments2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 3 mentions; 0 submissions, 3 comments2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC to 2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC (exclusive): 1 mentions; 0 submissions, 1 comments. Incomplete calendar period.2026*

* An incomplete calendar period is marked with an outlined bar. Its count is not directly comparable with a full period.

Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.

View mention counts and date ranges
UTC ranges include their start and exclude their end. Select a period to filter the source evidence.
PeriodStart (UTC)End (exclusive, UTC)MentionsSubmissionsComments
20162016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC202
20172017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC505
20182018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC202
20192019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC404
20202020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC202
20212021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC826
20222022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC12012
20232023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC13211
20242024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC16313
20252025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC303
2026 (partial)2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC101

From the project README

An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 13, 2026.

Read the project’s introduction
Bitwarden Client Applications This repository houses all Bitwarden client applications except the mobile applications (iOS | android). Please refer to the Clients section of the Contributing Documentation for build instructions, recommended tooling, code style tips, and lots of other great information to get you started. Related projects: bitwarden/server: The core infrastructure backend (API, database, Docker, etc). bitwarden/ios: Bitwarden iOS Password Manager & Authenticator apps. bitwarden/android: Bitwarden Android Password Manager & Authenticator apps. bitwarden/directory-connector: A tool for syncing a directory (AD, LDAP, Azure, G Suite, Okta) to an organization. We're Hiring! Interested in contributing in a big way? Consider joining our team! We're hiring for many positions. Please take a look at our Careers page to see what opportunities are currently open as well as what it's like to work at Bitwarden. Contribute Code contributions are welcome! Please commit any pull requests against the main branch. Learn more about how to contribute by reading the Contributing Guidelines. Check out the Contributing Documentation for how to get started with your first contribution. Security audits and feedback are welcome. Please open an issue or email us privately if the report is sensitive in nature. You can read our security policy in the SECURITY.md file.
Read the full README on GitHub

What Hacker News says

16 sources
lyu07282·Dec 24, 2024
My first immediate reaction was that it is awful, but I'm not sure actually, I think I can get used to it. The only real UX "bugs" I found so far: - the frontpage for Vault no longer shows the categories (Login/Card/Identity) you have to use filter now for that (= +2/3 more clicks) - when you search something there is no way to "go back" or clear the search, you have to manually clear the search text from the input field More design related: - the new "compact mode" should probably be the default and it also should decrease the font size (although you can just zoom-out) Also I think some user complains where already addressed via settings, in Appearance you can switch on "Compact Mode" (also you should zoom in once more Ctrl+Minus once or twice) and turn on "Show quick copy actions on vault". Tech is Typescript/Angular/Tailwind btw. prett
Read the rest
y bloated as expected, but whatever The client is GPL, development happens in the open: https://github.com/bitwarden/clients
In Some Bitwarden users are not enjoying the new UI/UX
hnbad·Oct 25, 2024
Someone else linked the GitHub issue that triggered this change and most of the replies are in the same tone as the comment you're responding to. Which is all the more ridiculous as this looks like it wasn't really a big license change decision but more of a "forgot to change the license on a component from our internal default". Assuming malice seems like the most boneheaded reaction to this given that there are no other indications Bitwarden was trying to do anything nefarious and the previous license state would have made every single library or tool depending on it non-free. This is different from criticisms of Mozilla for example which often boil down to "Mozilla positioned itself as privacy-focused but adds a privacy-violating feature you have to opt out of while claiming it's actually fine". Bitwarden never was 100% FLOSS to begin
Read the rest
with but introducing downstream license problems is clearly against their own interest. Unless you believe Bitwarden is run by evil idiots who do evil things for no good reason (business or otherwise) whatsoever and then quickly cover their tracks only when called out, "oops" is the only explanation that passes the sniff test. Here's what someone from Bitwarden said in that issue: https://github.com/bitwarden/clients/issues/11611#issuecomme... I think the submission should be rephrased as "Bitwarden SDK fixed license of sub-component" or something. Which of course sounds less bold and interesting and newsworthy because it really isn't.
In Bitwarden SDK relicensed from proprietary to GPLv3
minebreaker·Oct 25, 2024
https://github.com/bitwarden/clients/issues/11611#issuecomme... > We have made some adjustments to how the SDK code is organized and packaged to allow you to build and run the app with only GPL/OSI licenses included. The sdk-internal package references in the clients now come from a new sdk-internal repository, which follows the licensing model we have historically used for all of our clients (see LICENSE_FAQ.md for more info). The sdk-internal reference only uses GPL licenses at this time. If the reference were to include Bitwarden License code in the future, we will provide a way to produce multiple build variants of the client, similar to what we do with web vault client builds.
In Bitwarden SDK relicensed from proprietary to GPLv3
rossng·Oct 21, 2024Submission

Ask HN: Alternatives to Bitwarden?

I've been using (and paying for) Bitwarden for years now, but it appears they have recently chosen to abandon open source[1]. I'm not all too happy with having the rug pulled from under me. Is there an alternative that you would recommend? Preferably something that is open source, audited and has an Android client. Happy to pay a reasonable subscription. [1] https://github.com/bitwarden/clients/issues/11611
41 points · Open discussion
OptionOfT·May 25, 2024
> Yeah, but are there any official docs on that? If they document it, it becomes a standard and people start to rely on it. Even if the documentation itself is merely to explain the how and why of the database's encryption. > Last time I checked, they switched to SqlCipher as well, but with the password in an unencrypted file right next to the database file. > What's the threat model of such an odd design choice? The only thing that is more secure is to use Window's Credential Manager to store the key, which is what Bitwarden does [0]. But those credentials can also be easily dumped [1]. But at least this means that a system-wide data dump doesn't reveal the DB's content. I am not well-versed in the credential manager, but I wonder if it is possible to tie the credential to the executable (signer? hash?). [0] https://github.com/bitwarden/
Read the rest
clients/blob/89d7e96b25594e51a7... [1] https://gist.github.com/micjabbour/654e67d29cbd62be3587b9f1d...
In Signal's Meredith Whittaker on the Telegram security clash

Showing the 15 most recent of 16 sources. Enable JavaScript to search and browse every indexed mention.

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME

A few shortcuts

/
Search the collection
?
Open this guide
Esc
Close dialogs and navigation

Your saved repositories and interests stay in this browser.