Show HN: Random Password Generator

github.com

3 pointsankitpati5 comments

A command-line password generator that sources entropy from /dev/urandom (configurable in the source to /dev/random), generates printable ASCII passwords without whitespace, and preserves entropy with a guarantee to waste no more than 63 bits of entropy in a single invocation on most modern machines.

How does this compare to say pwgen?

pwgen

1. Focuses on memorable passwords, and restricts itself to fewer ASCII characters than rpg.

2. Makes no attempt to preserve entropy; waste of entropy is potentially unbounded. This is a performance concern when reading from /dev/random, and a security concern when reading from /dev/urandom.

3. Has large source code spread across multiple files. Good for reusability of components, not so good for auditability and security.

4. Requires Perl and sed.

1. That's what the `-s|--secure` flag is for

3. Is 1000 lines in 6 files really "large"?

4. On Debian at least, it just requires Libc.

1. Sorry, didn't know about that. Just took a cursory glance through the source code.

3. 126 lines in 1 file is still an order of magnitude smaller.

4. The source has a Perl and a sed script, although they are not used in the password generation.

(2) is still a concern, especially on servers and embedded computers.

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