Have you ever encountered a website that forces you to create a (free) account – implementing the so called "registration wall" – before you can access the contents? But you don't want to give your real information away, as you don't know what they will do to your data? This is where AliasVault comes in!

What is AliasVault

Firstly, AliasVault functions as a traditional password manager. It allows you to safely store all your login credentials in a secure and end-to-end encrypted personal vault.

Secondly however (and this is what makes AliasVault unique): it allows you to generate unique aliases for every website you use. This alias includes: a fictive first name, last name, birth date, username, password and last but not least: a real working email address. This allows you to quickly sign up for websites without having to disclose your real identity and/or email address.

AliasVault dashboard

Core Features

  • End-to-end Encrypted Password Manager (with built-in 2FA authenticator)
  • Alias Generator
  • Built-In Email Server
  • Open Source & Fully Self-Hostable
  • Browser Extensions Available On All Major Browsers

The full list of features can be found on the AliasVault website: https://www.aliasvault.net/features.

Browser Extensions

AliasVault comes with browser extensions for all major browsers. You can use the browser extensions with the free cloud-hosted variant but also with self-hosted installs.

Using the AliasVault browser extension allows you to easily login to websites using your stored credentials. You can also create new aliases straight from website sign up forms. Also, via the browser extension popup you can access received emails without leaving the website. This makes it very easy if e.g. a website sends a confirmation code by email and asks you to enter it. You can easily retrieve the code by clicking on the AliasVault icon in your browser which then shows you all received emails instantly.

AliasVault browser extensions preview

Installing AliasVault

AliasVault offers a free cloud-hosted variant that you can try out on https://www.aliasvault.net. However you can also install AliasVault on your own servers. The following steps will show you show.

AliasVault consists of several Docker containers that are managed via Docker Compose. In order to make the installation as easy as possible, AliasVault comes with a bundled install.sh script that guides you through the installation process and takes care of setting up your .env file and more. The whole installation only takes a matter of minutes.

Requirements:

  • Linux VM with root access (Ubuntu/AlmaLinux recommended) or Raspberry Pi
  • 1 vCPU
  • 1GB RAM
  • 16GB disk space
  • Docker installed

Execute the following commands via a shell:

bash
# Download install script from latest stable release
curl -o install.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lanedirt/AliasVault/main/install.sh

# Make install script executable and run it. This will create the .env file, pull the Docker images, and start the AliasVault containers.
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh install

The installation script will fetch the docker containers and start them. After completion you should get output that looks similar like this:

=========================================================

AliasVault is successfully installed!

To configure the server, login to the admin panel:

Admin Panel: https://localhost/admin
Username: admin
Password: [randomly generated admin password]

(!) Caution: Make sure to backup the above credentials in a safe place, they won't be shown again!

===========================

In order to start using AliasVault, log into the client website:

Client Website: https://localhost/

=========================================================

You can now access your local AliasVault instance at the following links:

Advanced installation & docs

In order to configure private email domains, change default ports (80/443), configure SSL and more, you can follow the complete AliasVault setup guide which covers all aspects here: https://docs.aliasvault.net/installation/install.html.

Final notes

AliasVault is a marvelous tool that helps you to protect your privacy online. It helps prevent companies creating shadow profiles of you. Also, it allows you to mitigate the risks of data breaches, which even the most reputable companies can fall victim to. AliasVault helps keep you safe online by letting you control how websites see and track you.

With the additional option to fully self-host AliasVault, it gives you the power to stay in control over your own data.

Visit the GitHub repository to read about the latest release updates, and don't forget to leave a star: https://github.com/lanedirt/AliasVault.