head to head · open source
pwd.sh vs passwall-server
pwd.sh has 1,564 GitHub stars, 132 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 27 days ago. passwall-server has 768 stars, 100 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. pwd.sh leads on adoption by 104% (1,564 vs 768 stars). pwd.sh is written in Shell under MIT; passwall-server is written in Go under AGPL-3.0. pwd.sh has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, passwall-server 13%. pwd.sh was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (password, password-manager), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| pwd.sh | passwall-server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 1.6K | ★ 768 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Shell | Go |
| Last push | 2026-10-19 | 2026-10-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 132 | ⑂ 100 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick pwd.sh if
- You weight community size — 1.6K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick passwall-server if
- You want the passwall-server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and passwall-server fits your workflow better
About pwd.sh
pwd.sh is a Bash script to manage text secrets, such as passwords, using GnuPG. Each secret is saved to a randomly named file in a directory. An encrypted index maps usernames to secrets contained in files. Both the index and files can be decrypted directly with GnuPG without pwd.sh. Install Download from Releases, or to use the latest version, clone the repository: Or download the script directly: Use Run the script interactively using ./pwd.sh or symlink to a directory in PATH : w write (create) a secret r read (access) a secret l list secret names and paths s generate a random secret u generate a random…
read the full pwd.sh overview →
About passwall-server
PassWall Server PassWall Server is the core backend for open source password manager PassWall platform. Using this server, you can safely store your passwords and access them from anywhere. 📋 Table of Contents Features Quick Start Development Makefile Commands Docker Deployment Environment Variables API Documentation Security Support ✨ Features 🔐 Secure Password Storage AES GCM encryption 🌐 RESTful API Well documented API endpoints 🐳 Docker Support Easy deployment with Docker Compose 🔄 Auto Migration Database schema management 📦 Multiple Storage Types Passwords, credit cards, bank accounts, notes, emails…
read the full passwall-server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is pwd.sh or passwall-server more popular?
pwd.sh has 1,564 GitHub stars and passwall-server has 768. pwd.sh has the larger community by that measure.
Are pwd.sh and passwall-server free?
Both are open source. pwd.sh is licensed under MIT and passwall-server under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between pwd.sh and passwall-server?
pwd.sh is written in Shell and passwall-server in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, pwd.sh or passwall-server?
Choose pwd.sh if you want the larger community (1,564 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose passwall-server if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.