🔐 Open Vault

A Native-First Password Manager for Windows

📖 Overview

Open Vault is a desktop application built to feel native — not like a web app running inside a browser shell. It delivers a true Windows desktop experience while maintaining enterprise-grade security by integrating directly with the operating system.

Instead of reinventing storage, Open Vault uses the Windows Credential Manager (OS Keyring) for secret management, leveraging built-in encryption and authentication. The app uses Tauri to ship a lightweight, secure executable that integrates deeply with the Windows ecosystem.

This project highlights Systems Programming, Secure Architecture, and Modern UI Engineering, combining Rust, SvelteKit, and Fluent-inspired design.

🎨 Key Features

• 🔗 Native Windows Integration

  • Designed specifically for Windows with support for Mica and Acrylic window effects that adapt to your desktop wallpaper.

• 🗝 Zero-Database Architecture

  • No local SQLite or JSON password stores; secrets live in the Windows OS Keyring via Credential Manager.

• 🦀 Memory-Safe Backend

  • Backend implemented in Rust, providing memory safety, thread safety, and strong type guarantees.

• ⚡ Fluid User Experience

  • Frontend powered by SvelteKit + TailwindCSS, delivering responsive interactions and smooth animations consistent with Windows 11 design principles.

⚙️ Technical Specifications

🧩 Architecture

Open Vault uses Tauri’s multi-process model with a clear separation of concerns.

Key backend crates: tauri, keyring, serde.

🔒 Security Model

• Storage
  Credentials are stored as generic credentials in Windows Credential Manager, letting the OS handle secure persistence.

• Encryption Encryption and decryption are handled by DPAPI, tied to the user’s Windows account, avoiding custom cryptography.

• IPC Security
  Communication between the Rust backend and WebView is strictly typed and scoped through Tauri’s IPC bridge, minimizing attack surface area.

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Install the following before setting up the project:

• Rust (latest stable)
• Node.js (LTS) & npm
• Visual Studio C++ Build Tools (required for Tauri on Windows)

🏗 Installation

# Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/sharmadevanshu089/open-vault.git
cd open-vault

# Install frontend dependencies

npm install

💻 Development Mode

Run the app with hot-module reloading for both backend and frontend:

npm run tauri dev

📦 Build for Production

Create an optimized installer and executable in src-tauri/target/release:

npm run tauri build

🤝 Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome.

• Open an issue to discuss bugs, UX ideas, or new features.
• Submit a pull request with clear descriptions and small, focused changes.

Before contributing, ensure your changes build successfully using the Tauri pipeline and basic project scripts.

📸 Screenshots

Coming soon

👨‍💻 Author

Devanshu Sharma
Developer focused on high-performance, secure applications that blend systems-level engineering with modern UX.

• 🌐 Portfolio / Resume: https://sharmadevanshu089.github.io/
• 💻 GitHub: https://github.com/sharmadevanshu089

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.
You are free to use, modify, and distribute the software under the terms of the license, while respecting all applicable copyrights and intellectual property. ```