# Nitrokey hardware security key

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/nitrokey/

7 people recommended Nitrokey hardware security key in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 12 months, in 13 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Open source hardware security key that people use for passkeys, SSH keys and PGP smartcards, valued for its open firmware and reliability.

Summary written by Claude from 14 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Open source hardware and firmware (4 comments in the sample): "There are even open source hardware passkeys (NitroKey) so you can have security with freedom." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49565673)) "There's open source ones. Nitro keys are what I've been using and they're basically flawless." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50097793)) "Smartcards with rust firmware by Nitrokey." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48298420))
- Stores SSH and PGP keys (4 comments in the sample): "you should probably store your SSH keys on a HSM like a Nitrokey or Yubikey" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49846664)) "Buy a smartcard with touch support such as a Nitrokey 3" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45919683)) "a PGP key storage dongle (I personally use NitroKey" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49546645))
- Touch to confirm each use (1 comment in the sample): "you can use a physical yubikey or nitrokey and tap it when it blinks" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49010048))
- Reliable, works without phone (1 comment in the sample): "Much more secure by a mile and works when your phone battery is dead." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50228286))

## What people recommend instead

- [YubiKey](https://hackerapproved.com/p/yubikey/): 160 recommend, 34 mixed, 57 criticize

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.nitrokey.com/)

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Nitrokey hardware security key", https://hackerapproved.com/p/nitrokey/ (7 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.