OpenBao
An open-source platform for storing and managing sensitive data and secrets
- Vendor
- Linux Foundation's OpenSSF
- Also known as
- openbao
What is OpenBao?
A centralized system for storing and managing sensitive data like API keys and database credentials, with automatic credential generation for external systems, automatic expiration after a set lease period, and identity-based access controls.
OpenBao pricing
We don't have OpenBao's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
What OpenBao does
The capabilities that matter for secrets management tools, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Tool type
- Secret store / engine
- Dynamic (short-lived) secrets
- ✓
- Hosting
- Cloud + self-hosted
- Automatic secret rotation
- ✓
- Encryption as a service (transit)
- ✓
- FIPS 140-2/3 validated crypto
- -
- HSM support
- -
- Fine-grained / identity-based policy
- ✓
- Audit logging
- ✓
- Kubernetes native (CRD / CSI / K8s auth)
- ✓
- PKI / certificate authority
- -
- Open-source core
- ✓
- CNCF maturity
- None
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
- Linux
- Windows
- Self-hosted
Integrations (7)
Independently observed- Kubernetes
- PostgreSQL
- AWS
- S3
- Flux
- SOPS
- Cosign
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
OpenBao FAQ
Common questions about OpenBao, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is OpenBao?
A centralized system for storing and managing sensitive data like API keys and database credentials, with automatic credential generation for external systems, automatic expiration after a set lease period, and identity-based access controls. It is indexed under Secrets Management Tools.
Source: https://openbao.org/
Is OpenBao free to use?
OpenBao is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MPL-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.
Source: https://openbao.org/
What platforms does OpenBao support?
OpenBao supports Windows, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.
Source: https://openbao.org/
Can OpenBao be self-hosted?
Yes. OpenBao can be deployed on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.
Source: https://openbao.org/
What does OpenBao integrate with?
We have confirmed 7 integrations for OpenBao, including Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, AWS, S3, Flux, SOPS and Cosign. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.
Source: https://openbao.org/
Is OpenBao open source?
Yes. OpenBao is published under the MPL-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.
OpenBao alternatives
Other secrets management tools we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- AWS Secrets ManagerCentrally store, encrypt, and manage application secrets with automatic rotationmedium · 73%
- DopplerCentral platform for managing and distributing secrets and credentials across cloud-based infrastructuremedium · 72%
- HashiCorp VaultA centralized platform for managing secrets, encryption operations, and access control across systemshigh · 75%
- InfisicalCentralized platform for managing secrets, certificates, and access credentials across infrastructuremedium · 68%
- AkeylessSecure identity and secret management for machines, AI agents, and human usersmedium · 73%
- External Secrets OperatorA Kubernetes operator that automatically synchronizes secrets from external API services into your clusterlow · 42%
Compare OpenBao
Side by side against other secrets management tools, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for OpenBao, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development activity | 63 | 0.09 | 5.9 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 87 | 0.06 | 5.5 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 86 | 0.05 | 4.4 | ✓ |
| Security score | 86 | 0.04 | 3.6 | ✓ |
| Stars | 73 | 0.03 | 1.9 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 26 | 0.06 | 1.6 | ✓ |
| Dependent projects | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | ✓ |
| Security posture | 0 | 0.21 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.14 | 0.0 | - |
| Developer Q&A activity | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 100 | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 6 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 66% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Hosting: both · Tool type: store · Cncf project: none · Audit logging: Yes · Dynamic secrets: Yes · Secret rotation: Yes | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 7 | mediumsource · 2026-08-14 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Go | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | MPL-2.0 | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 95% |
Pricing
Release
Reliability
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Status page | Yes | mediumsource · 2026-08-14 · 60% |
Security
Is OpenBao the right choice for you?
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