AUTHPASSWD(1)

📦
version 0.73.1 · 2 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 NAME 💖

authpasswd — the little helper that ✨ generates login passwords ✨ for you, bestie. It's authpasswd(1) if you're being formal about it, and it was written by S. Varshavchik. 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

authpasswd [method]

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Okay so listen. authpasswd is a lil helper utility whose whole job is generating encrypted passwords for the Courier authentication library. And here's the thing — that library is lowkey versatile, it can use several different encryption methods for storing passwords, which is why this tool lets you pick one. 👑

The way it goes: authpasswd hits you with a password prompt. You enter the same password twice (for verification purposes, they're just making sure you meant it, it's giving caring friend energy 💅). Then authpasswd computes and prints the encrypted password.

And then — the best part — that encrypted password can be inserted verbatim into the appropriate account record that's processed by the authentication library's authmysql, authpgsql, authsqlite, or authldap module. Copy. Paste. Slay. ✨ No cap, that's literally the whole workflow.

Now, method may be set to one of these literals, and choosing between them is the moment where you get to be the main character:

  • crypt — use the traditional DES-based encrypted password. Vintage. Retro. A classic. 🎀
  • md5 — compute a base64-encoded MD5 password hash.
  • md5raw — compute a hexadecimal-encoded MD5 password hash.
  • sha1 — compute a SHA1 password hash.
  • ssha — compute a salted SHA1 password hash. Seasoned. 🧂
  • sha256 — compute a SHA256 password hash.
And if you don't specify method at all? It defaults to the modified-MD5 password encryption algorithm that's used in Linux. Heads up bestie, and I need you to hear this clearly: that is different from the “md5” password hash method. Do not come for me later saying you weren't told. 😭

And that's the whole page, babes. Credit where it's due: this one comes from S. Varshavchik., dated 01/11/2026, filed under AUTHPASSWD(1). Go encrypt something gorgeous. 💖✨🦋🌸

📦 where this page comes from