Configure Bitwarden
Refer to this section and the Bitwarden About Key Connector and Deploy Key Connector instructions for installation and configuration guidance.
Perform the following steps to Configure Bitwarden:
- Set up and Deploy Key Connector.
- Confirm endpoint values.
- Create database.
- Create and RSA key pair.
- Activate Key Connector.
To get started using Key Connector for customer-managed encryption, review the following requirements.
To use Key Connector, you must have the following components:
- An Enterprise organization
- A self-hosted Bitwarden server
- An active SSO implementation
- Enabled Single organization and Require single sign-on authentication policies
If your organization meets these requirements, including a team and infrastructure that supports key server management, contact Bitwarden so they can activate Key Connector.
After you contact Bitwarden regarding Key Connector, they reach out to schedule a Key Connector discussion.
Perform the following tasks to set up and deploy Key Connector:
After Bitwarden enables Key Connector for your organization, complete the following steps to obtain the new license:
Open the Bitwarden cloud web app and go to your organization Billing > Subscription screen in the Admin Console.
Scroll down and select [ Download License ].
When prompted, enter the installation ID used to install your self-hosted server and select [ Submit ]. If you don't know your installation ID, retrieve it from ./bwdata/env/global.override.env.
You won't need your license file immediately, but you must upload it to your self-hosted server later.
To prepare your Bitwarden server for Key Connector, perform the following steps:
Save a backup of .bwdata/mssql. After you start using Key Connector, we recommend you have access to a pre-Key Connector backup image in case you need it.
If you use an external MSSQL database, back up your database by following your usual procedure.
Update your self-hosted Bitwarden installation to retrieve the latest changes:
Edit the .bwdata/config.yml file and enable Key Connector by setting enable_key_connector to true.
Rebuild your self-hosted Bitwarden installation:
Update your self-hosted Bitwarden installation again to apply the changes:
To configure Key Connector, perform the following steps:
Copy the following files to your Bitwarden server:
- The Endpoint zip file that generated for the Bitwarden service
- The PEM Certificate exported from PKI Management > Certificate Management
Extract the contents of the Endpoint zip file containing the following files:
- PKCS11Manager: Program to test the connection to the and perform basic functions through the FXPKCS11 module, such as logging in and generating random data.
- ca-chain.pem: CA certificate bundle.
- client-cert.pem: Client TLS certificate.
- client.p12: Full Client PKI in encrypted PKCS #12 format (contains the CA chain, client certificate, and client private key).
- configTest: Program to test configuration and connection to the .
- fxpkcs11.cfg: Configuration file for the FXPKCS11 module, enabling you to customize settings and specify connection details to the .
- libfxpkcs11.so: FXPKCS11 module.
Convert the PEM certificate to PFX format by using OpenSSL:
Specify Futurex123 as the password for the PFX file.
Copy the following files to the /opt/bitwarden/bwdata/key-connector directory:
- Bitwarden.pfx
- client.p12
- libfxpkcs11.so
- fxpkcs11.cfg
- PKCS11Manager
Placing these files in the /opt/bitwarden/bwdata/key-connector directory bind-mounts them inside the bitwarden-key-connector container at /etc/bitwarden/key-connector.
Edit the .bwdata/env/key-connector.override.env file that you downloaded with the ./bitwarden.sh update. See the following Additional explanation section for guidance.
This section provides additional explanation for editing .bwdata/env/key-connector.override.env.
Example key-connector.override.env file:
The FXPKCS11_CFG=/etc/bitwarden/key-connector/fxpkcs11.cfg enables the PKCS #11 module to find the configuration file at the non-default location (/etc).
To determine the keyConnectorSettings__rsaKey__pkcs11SlotTokenSerialNumber value you must specify, perform the following steps:
- Run the PKCS11Manager utility against your .
- Select option 1 (Print Library/Token Info).
Set keyConnectorSettings__rsaKey__pkcs11LoginPin to the value contained within the <CRYPTO-OPR-PASS> tags in the PKCS #11 configuration file (fxpkcs11.cfg).
The value you set in the keyConnectorSettings__rsaKey__pkcs11PrivateKeyLabel definition must match the name assigned to the Bitwarden key in .
The PKCS11Manager and fxpkcs11.cfg files are included in the Endpoint zip generated for the Bitwarden service in .
The automated setup populates endpoint values based on your installation configuration. However, we recommend that you confirm the following values in key-connector.override.env are accurate for your setup:
Key Connector must access a database that stores encrypted user keys for your organization members. Create a secure database to store encrypted user keys and replace the default keyConnectorSettings__database__ values in key-connector.override.env with the values designated in the Required Values column for the chosen database.
The preceding example key-connector.override.env defines Local JSON, but we do not recommend this option except for testing. For production environments, Bitwarden recommends using one of the other supported database options (such as Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, or MongoDB).
Key Connector uses an RSA key pair to protect user keys at rest. You must replace the default keyConnectorSettings__rsaKey__ and keyConnectorSettings__certificate__ values in key-connector.override.env with the values required to integrate with .
The RSA key pair must be at a minimum 2048 bits in length.
Key Connector directly accesses the -stored private key through the PKCS #11 module and the X.509 Certificate in the file system.
Now that you configured Key Connector and have a Key Connector-enabled license complete the following steps:
Restart your self-hosted Bitwarden installation to apply the configuration changes:
Log in to your self-hosted Bitwarden as an organization owner and go to the Admin Console Billing > Subscription screen.
Select [ Update license ] and upload the Key Connector-enabled license retrieved in an earlier step.
If you haven't already, go to the Settings > Policies screen and enable the Single organization and Require single sign-on authentication policies, which are required to use Key Connector.
Go to the Settings > Single sign-on screen.
The next few steps assume that you already have an active login with SSO implementation using SAML 2.0 or OIDC. If you don't, implement and test login with SSO before proceeding.
In the Member decryption options section, select Key Connector.
In the Key Connector URL input, enter the address where you are running Key Connector (by default, https://your.domain/key-connector) and select [ Test ] to ensure you can reach Key Connector.
Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select [ Save ].