How does bcrypt work for password hashing?

How does bcrypt work for password hashing?

Bcrypt is a password hashing function that incorporates a salt to protect against rainbow table attacks. It also allows you to adjust the cost factor, making it slower to compute, which enhances security.

What is a salt, and why is it important?

A salt is a random value added to the password before hashing. It ensures that even if two users have the same password, their hashed values will be different, making it harder for attackers to use precomputed hashes.

How do I implement bcrypt in my application?

You can implement bcrypt using libraries available in various programming languages. For example, in Node.js, you can use the 'bcrypt' package to hash and verify passwords easily.

What are the advantages of using bcrypt over other hashing algorithms?

Bcrypt is designed specifically for hashing passwords. It is adaptive, meaning you can increase the cost factor as hardware improves, making it more secure over time compared to static algorithms like MD5 or SHA-1.