PBKDF2 Key Derivation
Derive a key with PBKDF2 using HMAC-SHA-256, SHA-512 or SHA-1, any salt and iteration count, and get it as hex, base64 and a Django password field.
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Input
Derive a key with PBKDF2
Output
Deriving...
OWASP's password storage cheat sheet recommends 600,000 iterations of PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 (210,000 with SHA-512) when PBKDF2 is required, for example for FIPS compliance; otherwise Argon2id or bcrypt resist GPU attacks better. The salt must be random and unique per password; it is stored next to the hash, not kept secret.
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About this tool
Method, assumptions, practical next steps, and limits.
When PBKDF2 is the right choice
PBKDF2 is in FIPS 140 validated libraries and in RFC 8018, so compliance requirements often name it. It is not memory-hard, which makes GPU guessing cheaper than against bcrypt or Argon2id; OWASP recommends 600,000 iterations of PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 where it must be used.
Salt, not secret
The salt must be random and unique per password so identical passwords produce different hashes and precomputed tables are useless. It is stored next to the hash; it is not a key.