# Keywarden **Keywarden** is a self-hosted web application for centralized SSH key management and deployment. It lets you generate, store, and deploy SSH keys to Linux servers from a single web interface — with full audit logging, role-based access control, and automated temporary access scheduling. --- ## ⚠️ Alpha Software — Important Notice > **Keywarden is currently in alpha status.** > > - **Do NOT expose this application directly to the public internet.** Use it only in trusted, private networks. > - The software may contain bugs, incomplete features, or security issues. > - **Your feedback is valuable!** If you discover bugs or have suggestions, please report them at [git.techniverse.net/scriptos/keywarden](https://git.techniverse.net/scriptos/keywarden). Every report helps improve the project. --- ## Features - **SSH Key Management** — Generate (RSA 2048/4096, Ed25519, Ed448) or import existing keys - **Encrypted Storage** — Private keys encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM - **Server & Group Management** — Register servers, organize into groups - **Access Assignments** — Declarative access model: assign users + keys to servers with system user, sudo, and user creation - **Temporary Access** — Schedule time-limited access with automatic expiry (key removal, user disable, or user deletion) - **Three-Tier Roles** — Owner, Admin, and User with distinct permissions - **User Invitations** — Invite users via secure email links - **Two-Factor Authentication** — TOTP-based MFA, optionally enforced for all users - **Password Policies & Account Lockout** — Configurable complexity rules and brute-force protection - **Audit Log** — Every action tracked with user, IP, timestamp, and details - **Encrypted Backup/Restore** — Full database export with password-based encryption - **Docker-Native** — Single container with embedded SQLite, no external database required --- ## Quick Start ### Prerequisites - [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) and [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/) ### 1. Clone and configure ```bash git clone https://git.techniverse.net/scriptos/keywarden.git cd keywarden ``` Create a `.env` file: ```env KEYWARDEN_SESSION_KEY=your-random-session-key-at-least-32-characters KEYWARDEN_ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-random-encryption-key-at-least-32-chars ``` > **Important:** Change both keys to unique random strings. The encryption key protects all stored SSH private keys — if lost, they cannot be recovered. ### 2. Start ```bash docker compose up -d ``` ### 3. Get the initial password ```bash docker compose logs keywarden ``` Look for the auto-generated admin password in the output: ``` ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Initial owner account created Username: admin Password: Please change this password after first login! ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ ``` ### 4. Open Navigate to `http://your-host:8080` and log in. You will be prompted to change the password. ### 5. Deploy the master key After login, copy the **system master key** (shown in Admin Settings and in the startup logs) and add it to the `authorized_keys` of the root user on every server you want to manage: ```bash echo "ssh-ed25519 AAAA... keywarden-system-master" >> /root/.ssh/authorized_keys ``` --- ## Documentation For detailed documentation, see the [docs/](docs/README.md) folder: - [Quick Start Guide](docs/quickstart.md) - [Installation & Deployment](docs/deployment.md) — Docker, reverse proxy, HTTPS - [Architecture](docs/architecture.md) — System design and components - [User Guide](docs/user-guide.md) — SSH keys, settings, MFA - [Admin Guide](docs/admin-guide.md) — Servers, deployments, access assignments, cron jobs - [Roles & Permissions](docs/roles.md) — Owner, Admin, User role details - [Security](docs/security.md) — Encryption, authentication, hardening - [Environment Variables](docs/environment-variables.md) — Full configuration reference - [Email Configuration](docs/email.md) — SMTP, notifications, invitations - [Backup & Restore](docs/backup-restore.md) — Encrypted database backup - [Troubleshooting](docs/troubleshooting.md) — Common issues and solutions - [Contributing](docs/contributing.md) — Development setup and guidelines --- ## License Keywarden is licensed under the [GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0-or-later)](LICENSE). © 2026 Patrick Asmus ([scriptos](https://git.techniverse.net/scriptos))