How so? It's easy to run vault warden if you want local, and their android app supports connecting to your local vault warden. You can also export your data.
BitWarden is server-based and not local-first. Stop trolling for software that does not meet the parameters of the OP just because you disagree with those parameters.
Er, not sure how I'm disagreeing or trolling. You claim I'm trolling without mentioning specifically why. Which parameter of the OP isn't being met?
You can install the android bitwarden, which maintains a local DB. You can use it offline, and you can sync as you need with a server as needed or never at all. Which fits my definition of "local first". To double check I just put my phone in airplane mode, opened my local vault, and saw my password DB, which I could edit.
You can sync by telling it to, and there's plugins for all major browsers. You can use a bitwarden provided server, run your own, or not have one. You can export and sync via dropbox, icloud, syncthing, etc. Not sure why you would do that instead of clicking sync and letting the client upload to your own server or a bitwarden server.
Not sure how this could be consider user hostile. The rust server in particular is open source, single command to install, runs happily in provided docker container, etc. Exports are available in .json, or .csv. You can export from a web vault, browser extension, desktop client, mobile, or even command line.
I'm not trolling, I use bitwarden on android, and vaultwarden (rust server compatible with warden) on the server and it works great. I'm quite fond of it's security, track record, security assessments, open source, SOC certifications etc. I also like having the local DB on a device I control and doesn't depend on any cloud, remote server, etc so I can have my password db accessible without any internet access.
BitWarden's architecture requires a server when there is no technical reason to require one. That enforces a dark pattern whereby users must either (a) acquiesce to BitWarden owning their password database or (b) go through the pain of running their own dedicated server.
You say you are "Not sure why [I] would do that instead of..." This is exactly my point. You fundamentally disagree with my requirements.
I'm genuinely, sincerely glad that BitWarden works well for you. It doesn't work well for me because it is not local-first and requires a server. As a result, all these BitWarden posts are off-topic for the OP.
If you have a recommendation that meets the criteria in the OP, I'd be very grateful to hear it. However, please don't come here just to get all fighty and argue that my requirements are wrong.
Er, I don't understand. You install bitwarden on your phone, you use it, never use a server. Not even required to have internet. The app isn't some crippled client, it can create a vault, encrypt the vault, edit the vault, etc. No cloud or server is required, only if it's useful for you to sync with other devices.
Seems weird to call it a dark pattern because they optionally provide a way to sync through a server to keep N clients in sync that's easier to use than trying to rsync between N clients. Having used rsync to keep a work computer, home computer, laptop, and 2 phones synced with a password DB (Keepass) for years, I greatly prefer the sync through server solution, but that's not forced on you.
not that calling that "trolling" is exactly appropriate, but OP is clearly asking for sync over standard file sync methods, without having to run any extra server software, and "but you can export/import every time" is not exactly a good way of doing that...
A bit hard to guess without knowing the use case and reasoning. Keeping 10 devices synced on a DB that changes often = poor. Protection against some cloud service going down and leaving you stranded seems reasonable. Every server/cloud could explode, decide to charge me $1m a year, or be confiscated by the government and I could still use my phone and then export it to use a 2nd standalone device if I needed to. Even transfer it over USB if needed.
But even with 10 devices and a fast changing DB, using rsync or similar sounds pretty painful. Not sure where the ground is that good for rsync, but bad for import/export. I've friends that are particularly security conscious and only sync sometimes, and only over a VPN... but use bitwarden.... just like they would if they used rsync.... which you could use.
How could they be less user-hostile?