How to Securely Store Passwords in a Database

When it comes to storing passwords in a database, it’s crucial to prioritize security. Storing passwords as plaintext is a big no-no, as it exposes the passwords and puts your users at risk. Instead, you should store password hashes - irreversible strings derived from the original passwords that provide a level of security without compromising user data.

To achieve this in a Node.js environment, you can make use of the bcrypt library. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to securely store passwords in a database.

Step 1: Install bcrypt

Start by installing the bcrypt library from npm:

1	npm install bcrypt

Step 2: Set Up bcrypt

Require the bcrypt library and define the number of salt rounds you want to use. The salt rounds value determines the computational complexity of hashing the passwords and helps protect against brute force attacks:

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const bcrypt = require('bcrypt');

const saltRounds = 10;

Step 3: Create a Password Hash

To create a password hash, use the bcrypt.hash() function:

1	const hash = await bcrypt.hash('PASSWORD', saltRounds);

In the above example, replace 'PASSWORD' with the actual password string you want to hash. If you prefer to use callbacks instead of async/await, the alternative syntax is as follows:

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bcrypt.hash('PASSWORD', saltRounds, (err, hash) => {
  // Handle the hash result
});

Once you have the hash value, you can safely store it in your database.

Step 4: Verify the Password Hash

To verify a password, you need to compare it with the hash stored in the database. Use the bcrypt.compare() function to achieve this:

1 2	const result = await bcrypt.compare('PASSWORD', hash); //result is true or false

If you prefer to use callbacks, here’s an example of how to accomplish the same thing:

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bcrypt.compare('somePassword', hash, (err, result) => {
  // Handle the comparison result
});

Finally, you can use the result (true or false) to determine whether the password is valid or not.

By following these steps and using the bcrypt library, you can securely store passwords in your database without exposing sensitive user information.

Tags: password hashing, database security, bcrypt, password storage