I’m tired of trusting the cloud with my passwords – is it just me?

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Hey Makers 👋,

I’ve been a user of cloud‑based password managers for years. But after the LastPass breach, and seeing more leaks every quarter, I started feeling uncomfortable. My passwords, my bank accounts, my private keys – all sitting on someone else’s server. Even if “zero‑knowledge” sounds great, I can’t verify it.

So I went the “offline” route. I tried pass (the standard Unix password manager) – but GPG is a nightmare for non‑tech folks. I also looked at Keepass, but the UI feels like it’s from 2005, and syncing between devices is clumsy.

Here’s what I really want:

  • Pure offline – no cloud, no sync, no account. My vault never leaves my laptop.

  • Strong encryption – AES‑256‑GCM + Argon2id, with memory‑zeroing for sensitive data.

  • Both GUI and CLI – because sometimes I just want to get a password quickly, other times I prefer a nice interface.

  • A smart password generator – not just random chars, but one that guarantees at least one char from each selected character set (so I don’t get a password with no digits and fail the website’s rule). And I’d love to see a real‑time strength bar with an estimated crack time – like “1.2 million years” – to help me trust the password I’m about to use.

  • No subscription – I’d rather pay once for a license tied to my device (offline, no call‑home).

I’m a solo developer, and I’ve started sketching out a Rust‑based tool called passlock that does exactly these things. But before I dive deep into coding, I want to validate if this is a real pain for others, or if I’m just being paranoid.

So, I’d love to hear from you:

  1. Do you also worry about cloud‑based password managers? Or are you comfortable with them?

  2. What’s your biggest frustration with offline options (like Keepass or pass)?

  3. Would a tool like this – offline, dual‑interface – be something you’d consider using? Why or why not?

  4. What feature would be a deal‑breaker for you (missing or present)?

I’m not selling anything – I just want to know if I’m building something useful. All honest feedback (critical or positive) is gold to me.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your thoughts! 🙏

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I’ve felt the same. For me, keeping passwords under my control brings more confidence than relying entirely on someone else’s servers.

 I’m not against the cloud, but I’ve started questioning how much trust I’m placing in it. Have you found a setup that keeps conveince without sacrificing control?

 For me, the biggest concern isn't hacking alone, it's depending on a service I don't control. I've been exploring alternatives that let me keep ownership while staying organised.

   Had this though more often lately. Convenience is great, but I’m becoming more conscious about where my most sensitive data lives.