Passbolt 5.0 Released: A Simpler Way to Share Credentials at Scale

We’ve just released passbolt version 5.0 (release notes), featuring a redesigned user experience aiming to make it easier for teams to collaborate on access and credentials - whether you’re in IT, DevOps or part of the broader workforce.

The refreshed interface reflects two objectives we’ve tried to achieve in the open source product:

1. Offer a more intuitive way to manage and share passwords and secrets. That's something we’ve worked hard to improve for both technical and non-technical users.
2. Create a solid foundation for upcoming improvements in the subsequent 5.x releases with the overarching goal to fully round out passbolt as an all-in-one solution for Password Management, Secrets Management, and make headway into Privileged Access Management (PAM).

That might sound like a lot, but we want to be transparent about where we are and where we’re headed, so you can judge for yourself. In this post, we’ll walk you through what we’ve delivered so far and what’s coming next. We’ll highlight the key features introduced in version 5.0, give you a preview of what to expect in the upcoming 5.1 and 5.2 releases, outline our ongoing release strategy, and share a bit of the bigger picture behind the product vision.

What Is Included in Version 5.0?

With 5.0, we’ve redesigned passbolt’s interface to make existing functionality more intuitive and user-friendly, while keeping the experience consistent as we continue adding new features throughout the 5.x series. We hope these improvements will be appreciated by both new and power users, as they help accelerate product adoption and improve day-to-day efficiency.

Enhanced Workspace Usability

In general, the application’s look and feel has been updated to offer a more modern, cleaner and user-friendly experience. Default icons have been introduced to make it easier to distinguish between different types of resources, such as passwords, Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP), and more.

In the screenshot above, you’ll notice that what used to be the “password” workspace is now simply the main view for managing and sharing resources to better reflect its central role in everyday use. 

A major change in this area is that filters have shifted from the left sidebar to the top of the grid in the new UI. As displayed in the below screenshot, the filter view lets you zero in on the resources you need most - “starred”, “shared with me”, “items I own”, “private”, “expiring”.

Bulk actions are easier, too: you can still select multiple resources at once, but now you can also review their combined details, and therefore refine your selection before performing a single action on all of them, as shown below.

Another notable change displayed in the below screenshot, is the introduction of unified and modular dialogs for creating or editing resources and items. Whether you’re adding a password – or secret, a TOTP entry, or a folder – the interface remains the same, which lays the foundation for consistently adding sensitive data types with upcoming releases.

For in depth details and additional improvements, also for administrators, read the blog post Passbolt 5 User Interface Redesign.

Breaking Change: PHP >= 8.2 Required

Passbolt 5.0 requires PHP 8.2 or higher. This transition offers the benefits of enhanced performance, stronger security, and improved long-term maintainability.

If your server is already running at least PHP 8.2, you’re all set for the upgrade. If not, you’ll need to update your PHP environment before migrating to passbolt v5.0. To help you out, there is a comprehensive guide detailing which distributions include PHP 8.2 by default, as well as migration strategies and step-by-step instructions for upgrading older Red Hat or Debian-based systems. You can find all the details in the blog post on preparing for passbolt version 5.

What Will 5.1 and 5.2 Bring?

As a foundational release, passbolt 5.0 prepares the ground for a range of new features that evolve it into a comprehensive solution for sharing and storing various types of sensitive data. Over time, we hope this will bring us closer to our goal of unifying Password Management, Secrets Management and aspects of Privileged Access Management (PAM).

Starting with version 4.12, we’re aiming to release point updates on the second Wednesday of each month, introducing new capabilities and features in a stable and predictable manner. We’re also committed to maintain a publicly visible 3-month planning window to give users better visibility into what’s coming next.

Having said that, here’s a glimpse at what’s in the pipeline regarding the upcoming versions 5.1 and 5.2:

Passbolt 5.1 (May 14, 2025)

One of the most important changes in passbolt v5 is the introduction of encrypted metadata.  In earlier versions, secrets like passwords and TOTP codes were encrypted, but metadata such as resource names and URIs remained in plain text. Version 5 changes that by encrypting more data, enhancing privacy and further reducing risks for a larger spectrum of threats. Read more in the The road to Passbolt v5 – Encrypted metadata and other core security changes.

Because the encrypted metadata feature is a key component of passbolt’s security architecture, it will be undergoing a third-party security audit by Cure53 at the end of April. As this audit is still pending, the feature could not be included in version 5.0. Hence, we had to postpone it to version 5.1, which is expected to be released May 14, 2025.

Passbolt 5.2 (June 11, 2025)

Passbolt 5.2 should follow suit on June 11, 2025. It will include the following new features:

• Generic Key/Value (Custom Fields): Passbolt 5.2 will introduce support for flexible key/value fields in the new default resource types. These fields can be configured as either searchable metadata or as confidential values (also called a “secret” in this context, i.e. the secret part of a credential), giving users more control over how they structure and store sensitive data. This foundational feature makes it possible to extend resources based on specific needs, whether that’s storing custom taxonomy, project IDs, environment types, API tokens, or anything in between.
• Multiple URIs: The Multiple URI feature allows users to associate several website or application URLs with a single password or secret entry. This helps streamline autofill functionality and improves usability in scenarios where the same credentials are valid across multiple domains or subdomains.
• Custom Icons: In version 5.2, plans are in place for resource icon customization allowing organizations to apply the same icons set as in KeePass and to tailor icon background colours within passbolt. This has been a highly requested feature from the community, ensuring quick identification and differentiation of resources at a glance.

More information is available in the passbolt roadmap. You can make feature requests in the community forum.

Passbolt 5 Product Strategy

Since day one, passbolt has been built to help teams securely manage and share passwords and secrets. With version 5.0 and beyond, we’re gradually evolving passbolt  into a broader platform designed to enable secure, seamless collaboration on various types of access and sensitive data. We envisage passbolt to support diverse business scenarios, not only around passwords and secrets, but also around broader encrypted data needs, for teams of all sizes, from small and mid-sized businesses to large enterprises.

Our aim is to reduce the need for multiple tools by bringing together Password Management, Secrets Management, and Privileged Access Management (PAM) into a single solution. The goal is to empower teams, whether you’re in IT administration, DevOps, or the wider organization, to unify and simplify access and credentials collaboration.

This direction aligns with the product vision we’ve already been working towards and it’s now backed by a recently secured €8M Series A investment in our EU-based company. Importantly, Passbolt was already profitable before this funding, underscoring our strong foundation and commitment to long-term business continuity. Throughout this journey, we remain firmly committed to our core principles of high security, open source and data privacy.

Download Passbolt 5.0

Passbolt v5.0 is available now for immediate download of the Community and Pro editions and, as always, is released under an open source license. Passbolt v5.0 will be available on our Cloud plan starting April 23, 2025.

We invite all existing passbolt users to upgrade to version 5 and experience the improvements in secure access and credentials collaboration! You can find comprehensive upgrade guides and detailed documentation on our website to assist you with the transition.

We encourage you to share your valuable feedback with our community on the passbolt forum.  For our self-hosting customers who participated in the beta program, your contributions have been invaluable in shaping this release - thank you!

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