(Guide/Review) AuthPass is an open source, cross-platform password manager that supports KeePass database files

[Karlston]

AuthPass is an open source, cross-platform password manager that supports KeePass database files

KeePass has been my favorite password manager for many years. One of the things I like about it is that it has many alternative programs that you can use with its encrypted database (KDBX file) format.

 

 

AuthPass is an open source, cross-platform password manager that supports KeePass 2.x databases (KDBX 3.x).  The program displays a large startup screen that prompts you to get started with an existing database, or start fresh. If you want to load a KDBX file, you can select one from your computer's hard drive, or load one from the following cloud services: Dropbox, Google Drive or WebDAV.

 

 

Enter the password on the next screen (or use a key file), and you can start using your database with AuthPass.

 

 

The password manager's interface has a modern look that seems to follow Google's Material Design, with an accent color, and a minimalistic approach. AuthPass has a sidebar to the left that lists all of your logins.

 

 

Click on an item and the application loads the corresponding information on the large pane to the right. The top half of this pane displays the name of the database the credentials are saved in, the group (folder) name, and the date when the information was last modified.

 

Left-click on the Group name to bring up the folder tree into view, you can use it to move the entry from one group to another. The large icon next to the entry's name is a button, which when clicked upon displays more icons to choose from.

 

 

The fields on the lower half can be used to view the title of the saved account, the URL it has been associated with, the username, and the password. All of these fields have a three dot button to the right edge, clicking on which displays a few options. The copy field option clones the selected field. You can rename or delete a field, generate strong passwords from the pop-up menu. The "protect value" setting obscures the selected field (like a password box does). To reveal a protected field, click on it.

 

 

The present menu item displays a QR code of the selected account. AuthPass can be used to add notes or attach files to saved entries. Click on the "Add field" button at the bottom of the window to add one of the following options: Title, Website, User, Password, Time Based One Time Password, or a custom field. Click on the save button at the end of the window to preserve your changes. To delete an entry, select it and click on three-dot menu in the top right corner and hit the delete option.

 

 

The Hamburger menu in the top left corner displays the Group tree. You can select multiple groups or a specific group to list their contents. The floppy icon appears on the toolbar when there are unsaved changes, click it to save your database. The filter icon can be used to toggle deleted entries, and to access the Group tree.

 

Have too many entries? Trouble finding a specific account? Click on the search icon to find what you're looking for, the results are displayed in real-time as you type.

 

 

The three-dot menu in the toolbar has shortcuts for managing groups, check for updates, lock the database, switch to a different file. AuthPass has a built-in password generator, it has a few toggles to include lowercase, uppercase characters, Umlauts, Numbers, special characters, and the length of the password.

 

 

The toolbar's menu button also allows you to access the program's Preferences.

 

 

Use it to switch between the Light and Dark Theme, adjust the visual density (GUI size) and text scaling.

 

 

The application supports some basic keyboard shortcuts: Tab for navigating, Ctrl +C, Ctrl + V for copying and pasting the field's contents.

 

 

Drag an entry in the sidebar to the left (like a swipe gesture) to copy the username, drag it to the right to copy the password.

 

It is worth noting that AuthPass for Windows and Linux is still in an early phase, they were released a few months ago. That being said, here are some things I didn't like about the program.

 

The program didn't warn me to save the database when I made some changes and exited it, which is kind of annoying. The password manager uses about 100MB of RAM, which is not exactly a lot for modern computers. But, considering that KeePass uses about 50MB of RAM, AuthPass' does seem to be on the heavier side of resource usage. I'd like to see a portable version of the program.

 

AuthPass does not support plugins, which can be a bit of an issue for some users, e.g. if you want something to assist you with AutoType. Speaking of which, the program does not support AutoType or AutoFill, there is no browser extension either, so you'll have to manually copy and paste your credentials on the sign in page. The password manager does not minimize to the tray. There's another issue with the program, when you click on one of the elements on the toolbar, you have to click somewhere inside the left pane or the toolbar to dismiss it, i.e. the menu does not collapse on its own, or when you click anywhere on the right side of the GUI, or when you hit the Escape key.

 

AuthPass is available for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iOS. The program is written in Flutter, the source code is available on GitHub. The Android app has a design that's similar to the Windows program, but the mobile version has more features including autofill, biometric authentication (fingerprint unlock).

In its current state, AuthPass is usable and worth keeping an eye on. But if you want a KeePass alternative with a prettier interface and more features right now, KeePassXC is clearly the better choice.

 

Landing Page: https://authpass.app/

 

 

AuthPass is an open source, cross-platform password manager that supports KeePass database files