Ciphers API

Manage vault items including passwords, notes, cards, and identities

Overview

Ciphers are the core vault items in Bitwarden. They can represent:

• Login credentials (username/password)
• Secure Notes
• Card information (credit/debit cards)
• Identity information (personal details)
• SSH Keys

Get Cipher

Retrieve a specific cipher by ID.

GET /ciphers/{id}

id · string · required

The cipher ID

Response

id · string · required

Cipher unique identifier

type · number · required

Cipher type (1=Login, 2=SecureNote, 3=Card, 4=Identity, 5=SSHKey)

name · string · required

Encrypted cipher name

notes · string

Encrypted notes

login · object

Login credentials (for type=1)

card · object

Card information (for type=3)

identity · object

Identity information (for type=4)

favorite · boolean

Whether cipher is marked as favorite

organizationId · string

Organization ID if cipher is shared

collectionIds · array

Collections containing this cipher

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Get Cipher Details

Retrieve detailed cipher information including collection associations.

GET /ciphers/{id}/details

id · string · required

The cipher ID

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Get Cipher as Admin

Retrieve cipher details with admin permissions.

GET /ciphers/{id}/admin

id · string · required

The cipher ID

This endpoint requires admin or manager permissions for the organization.

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List All Ciphers

Retrieve all ciphers accessible to the authenticated user.

GET /ciphers

Response

Returns a list of all ciphers including personal and organization ciphers.

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List Organization Ciphers

Retrieve all ciphers for a specific organization.

GET /ciphers/organization-details?organizationId={organizationId}&includeMemberItems={includeMemberItems}

organizationId · string · required

The organization ID

includeMemberItems · boolean · default: "false"

Include items in user’s default collections

---

List Assigned Organization Ciphers

Retrieve organization ciphers assigned to the current user.

GET /ciphers/organization-details/assigned?organizationId={organizationId}

organizationId · string · required

The organization ID

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Create Cipher

Create a new cipher.

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.bitwarden.com/ciphers" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {access_token}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": 1,
    "name": "2.encrypted_name",
    "notes": "2.encrypted_notes",
    "login": {
      "username": "2.encrypted_username",
      "password": "2.encrypted_password",
      "uris": [
        {"uri": "2.encrypted_uri"}
      ]
    },
    "folderId": null,
    "favorite": false
  }'

Request Body

type · number · required

Cipher type (1=Login, 2=SecureNote, 3=Card, 4=Identity, 5=SSHKey)

name · string · required

Encrypted cipher name

notes · string

Encrypted notes

login · object

Login data (required for type=1)

secureNote · object

Secure note data (required for type=2)

card · object

Card data (required for type=3)

identity · object

Identity data (required for type=4)

folderId · string

Folder ID to place cipher in

organizationId · string

Organization ID if creating organization cipher

favorite · boolean · default: "false"

Mark as favorite

lastKnownRevisionDate · string

Last known revision date for conflict detection

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Create Cipher with Collections

Create a cipher and assign it to collections in one operation.

POST /ciphers/create

cipher · object · required

Cipher object (same as Create Cipher)

collectionIds · array · required

Array of collection IDs to assign cipher to

---

Update Cipher

Update an existing cipher.

PUT /ciphers/{id}

id · string · required

The cipher ID

Request Body

Same as Create Cipher, all fields should be provided.

---

Partial Update Cipher

Update only specific fields of a cipher (folder and favorite status).

PUT /ciphers/{id}/partial

id · string · required

The cipher ID

folderId · string

New folder ID (null for no folder)

favorite · boolean

Favorite status

---

Share Cipher

Share a personal cipher with an organization.

PUT /ciphers/{id}/share

id · string · required

The cipher ID

cipher · object · required

Updated cipher object with organizationId

collectionIds · array · required

Collections to share cipher with

---

Update Cipher Collections

Update which collections a cipher belongs to.

PUT /ciphers/{id}/collections

id · string · required

The cipher ID

collectionIds · array · required

New array of collection IDs

---

Bulk Update Collections

Add or remove collections for multiple ciphers.

POST /ciphers/bulk-collections

organizationId · string · required

Organization ID

cipherIds · array · required

Array of cipher IDs to update

collectionIds · array · required

Array of collection IDs

removeCollections · boolean · default: "false"

Remove collections instead of adding them

---

Archive Cipher

Archive a single cipher.

PUT /ciphers/{id}/archive

id · string · required

The cipher ID

---

Bulk Archive Ciphers

Archive multiple ciphers at once.

PUT /ciphers/archive

ids · array · required

Array of cipher IDs to archive (max 500)

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Unarchive Cipher

Restore an archived cipher.

PUT /ciphers/{id}/unarchive

id · string · required

The cipher ID

---

Bulk Unarchive Ciphers

Restore multiple archived ciphers.

PUT /ciphers/unarchive

ids · array · required

Array of cipher IDs to unarchive (max 500)

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Soft Delete Cipher

Move a cipher to trash (soft delete).

PUT /ciphers/{id}/delete

id · string · required

The cipher ID

---

Bulk Soft Delete

Move multiple ciphers to trash.

PUT /ciphers/delete

ids · array · required

Array of cipher IDs (max 500)

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Restore Cipher

Restore a soft-deleted cipher from trash.

PUT /ciphers/{id}/restore

id · string · required

The cipher ID

---

Bulk Restore Ciphers

Restore multiple ciphers from trash.

PUT /ciphers/restore

ids · array · required

Array of cipher IDs (max 500)

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Delete Cipher Permanently

Permanently delete a cipher (cannot be undone).

DELETE /ciphers/{id}

id · string · required

The cipher ID

This permanently deletes the cipher. This action cannot be undone.

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Bulk Delete Permanently

Permanently delete multiple ciphers.

DELETE /ciphers

ids · array · required

Array of cipher IDs (max 500)

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Move Ciphers to Folder

Move multiple ciphers to a folder.

PUT /ciphers/move

ids · array · required

Array of cipher IDs (max 500)

folderId · string

Destination folder ID (null for no folder)

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Encryption

All sensitive cipher data must be encrypted client-side before sending to the API. The API stores encrypted data only.

Encrypted Fields

The following fields are encrypted:

• name
• notes
• Login: username, password, uris, totp
• Card: cardholderName, number, code
• Identity: All fields
• SSH Key: All fields

Encryption Format

Encrypted strings follow the format: {encType}.{encryptedData}|{iv}|{mac}

Example: 2.abc123|def456|ghi789