Password management is one of the most important things about spending time on the internet, no matter how much or how little. Our entire lives are essentially locked behind passwords, and the security of our data is dependent on not just their strength, but how you store them as well.

Many people choose to use some variation of the same password across all their accounts, which isn't as secure as having a random, complex string with many characters. This is where password managers come in. Sure, you can lock up your accounts with a nice, secure, complex password, but remembering all of them is simply impossible, which is why we use password managers to store them. But should you bother self-hosting a password manager? Or is it worth it to trust a third-party to store them for you? Here are 5 reasons why you should (and shouldn't) self-host your own password manager.

5 Reason you should: Full control over your data

You're the keeper of the keys

One of the biggest reasons for self-hosting anything is the enhanced privacy that comes with it. You're not sending any kind of information across the internet; just over your own network. All the passwords you store on your server can be accessed at any time without going through a third-party. In many cases, to get access to a high-quality, robust password manager, you'll likely need to fork over some dough, which in turn requires them to collect information from you, like your name and address. That's the opposite of privacy, so if that matters to you, consider self-hosting!

4 Reason you shouldn't: Security is now your problem

A blessing and a curse

A consequence of hosting your own password manager on your network is being in charge of all the security. Self-hosting things like a media center is one thing; self-hosting a vault of all your most important accounts is an entirely different ballgame. It's not as simple as just loading up a server and throwing your usernames and passwords on it. Sure, the chances of you, specifically, being attacked versus a company that provides a password hosting service is relatively small, but it's still a consideration you must take. Self-hosting might reduce the attack surface, but their chances of success will be extremely high if you don't take the proper precautions.

3 Reason you should: No fees

Saving cash per month is an incentive

Most password managers come with a limited free-tier, leading people to just fork over the few bucks a month for full access to all the features. By self-hosting your password manager, you avoid that monthly cost entirely. If you don't already have hardware set up to host one, you'll incur that cost up front, but after that, you don't need to pay for anything else. There are plenty of open-source password management solutions that can be easily self-hosted.

2 Reason you shouldn't: Some features are worth paying for

Some things you can't self-host

Premium password management services have features that could be worth paying for, depending on your use-case. These premium features, like password hygiene notifications, notifications of data breaches, and authenticator functionality are all things you can't easily self-host. Depending on how much you're in tune with the cybersecurity world, these things might matter to you, in which case, paying a few bucks every month isn't such a bad option over self-hosting.

1 Reason you shouldn't: Downtime becomes your problem

The ultimate argument against self-hosting anything

Now, of course, self-hosting services has its benefits, but the true Achilles heel, at least for me, is the fact that any downtime is now your problem. Any bugs, crashes, or aforementioned breaches are now your problem and your problem only. The last thing you need when you want to log in to something is to troubleshoot tech issues.

You can certainly set up your password manager to run on a system that's ultra-low maintenance, but in the end, the possibility of a failure is always there, and as long as you're self-hosting, it'll always be your problem instead of a third party. Outages of a premium password management service are extremely rare, but they definitely can happen. At least in that case, you're off the hook.

In the end, it's your choice

Self-hosting your password manager puts the power back in your hands in terms of security, privacy, and features. This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective and knowledge surrounding self-hosting. If you're a seasoned veteran who self-hosts many different things on your home network, and have the knowledge to keep everything secure, go right ahead. If not, paying for a premium password manager or even using a free service can be just fine for the average person.