Maybe you can remember dozens of complex passwords, I can’t. That’s why password managers, such as 1Password, Keeper, and LastPass, are so important. Now, AgilBits, 1Password’s parent company, has finally listened to their customers who have been asking for a Linux version for a decade. At long last, the company announced, “1Password is coming to Linux.”
Don’t get your credit cards out yet though. True, the first development preview version of 1Password is out now. But it’s not ready for prime-time yet. It’s not a finished product. “For example, the app is currently read-only: there is no item editing, creation of vaults, or item organization.”
So, if you want to test it, go for it. But it’s in no way, shape, or form ready for a production system or even your home setup. The company suggests that, for now, its Linux customers use 1Password X in their browsers.
So, why not just use 1Password X? Because 1Password will handle far more than just web passwords. You will also be able to use it with FTP, SSH, and SMB network passwords.
On the backend, 1Password runs on Rust, a secure systems programming language that has made a lot of waves in the Linux community. For end-to-end encryption, it uses the open-source ring crypto library. This library’s code springs from the BoringSSL, OpenSSL fork. The application interface is being written with the React JavaScript library.
If you work on an open-source team which needs a password manager, the company will give you, and everyone on your team, a free account. To get it, simply open a pull request against its 1Password for Open Source Projects repo.
The program, when completed, will come with the following features:
Simple and secure installs using apt and dnf package managers
Automatic Dark Mode selection based on your GTK theme
Tiling window manager support and descriptive window titles
Unlock with your Linux user account, including biometrics
System tray icon for staying unlocked while closed
X11 clipboard integration and clearing
Keyboard shortcuts
Data export
Unlock multiple accounts with different passwords
Create collections to organize data across accounts and vaults
All versions of 1Password work with your data files synced on 1Password’s servers. The company claims it doesn’t track users. But you can also save your passwords locally and sync your data file on a server on your own local area network or a Dropbox or iCloud account.
Want to check it out? Read the guide Get to know 1Password for Linux to get started. There are signed apt and rpm package repositories for Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). There’s also an AppImage available for other distributions. 1Password intends to support all major desktop Linux distros.
After an initial 30-day free trial, a 1Password personal subscription costs $36 per year and comes with 1GB of personal storage. A five-user family subscription costs $60 annually. 1Password Business accounts add advanced access control, with activity logs and centrally managed security policies. These cost $96 per user per year, and include 5GBs of document storage and a free linked family account for each user.
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