Open-source alternative
Replace HashiCorp Vault with OpenBao
The best open-source alternative to HashiCorp Vault is OpenBao, self-hosted on Railway. Secrets you host. OpenBao is MPL-2.0 — the Linux Foundation Vault fork. Current HashiCorp Vault is BSL, not OSI open source.
Estimated save $2,400 a year.
Open the stackStart on Railway
How HashiCorp Vault compares
| HashiCorp Vault | OpenBao | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Hosted subscription | Open-source or fair-code license; you pay the host |
| Hosting | Vendor cloud | Self-hosted on Railway or any VPS |
| Rough monthly cost | Public list price not verified this run | Hosting only — no SaaS seat meter in this repo |
- OpenBao
MPL-2.0 secrets manager (Vault API-compatible fork)
FAQ
- Is it free?
- The OpenBao licenses are open source or fair-code. You still pay hosting (Railway or any VPS) and any APIs the stack calls. There is no HashiCorp Vault seat or task bill on this path.
- Can I migrate from HashiCorp Vault?
- Yes. Start with the workflows or data you actually use, then cut over. The OpenBao stack page has the agent prompt and the cost table; most teams rebuild the slice that matters and leave old HashiCorp Vault links until they expire.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open the OpenBao stack, copy the agent prompt, and deploy on Railway (one service, PORT, and a volume when the app needs disk). Placeholder: OpenBao + a volume (or integrated storage / Raft) and TLS. No one-click template in this repo yet — Start on Railway. App login stays on /stacks/auth-without-the-bill; workforce SSO on /stacks/keycloak-idp.
- What does this replace?
- HashiCorp Vault. The published small-team estimate on this stack is $2,400 a year.
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