pwd.sh is a Bash shell script to manage passwords and other text-based secrets.

It uses GnuPG to symmetrically (i.e., using a passphrase) encrypt and decrypt plaintext files.

Each password is encrypted individually as a randomly-named file in the "safe" directory. An encrypted index is used to map usernames to the respective password file. Both the index and password files can also be decrypted directly with GnuPG without this script.

Install

For the latest version, clone the repository or download the script directly:

git clone https://github.com/drduh/pwd.sh

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/drduh/pwd.sh/master/pwd.sh

Versioned Releases are also available.

Use

Run the script interactively using ./pwd.sh or symlink to a directory in PATH:

• w to write a password
• r to read a password
• l to list passwords
• b to create an archive for backup
• h to print the help text

Options can also be passed on the command line.

Create a 20-character password for userName:

./pwd.sh w userName 20

Read password for userName:

./pwd.sh r userName

Passwords are stored with an epoch timestamp for revision control. The most recent version is copied to clipboard on read. To list all passwords or read a specific version of a password:

./pwd.sh l

./pwd.sh r userName@1574723600

Create an archive for backup:

./pwd.sh b

Restore an archive from backup:

tar xvf pwd*tar

Configure

Several customizable options and features are also available, and can be configured with environment variables, for example in the shell rc file:

Variable	Description	Default	Available options
PWDSH_CLIP	clipboard to use	xclip	pbcopy on macOS
PWDSH_CLIP_ARGS	arguments to pass to clipboard command	unset (disabled)	-i -selection clipboard to use primary (control-v) clipboard with xclip
PWDSH_TIME	seconds to clear password from clipboard/screen	10	any valid integer
PWDSH_LEN	default password length	14	any valid integer
PWDSH_COPY	copy password to clipboard before write	unset (disabled)	1 or true to enable
PWDSH_DAILY	create daily backup archive on write	unset (disabled)	1 or true to enable
PWDSH_CHARS	character set for passwords	[:alnum:]!?@#$%^&*();:+=	any valid characters
PWDSH_COMMENT	unencrypted comment to include in index and safe files	unset	any valid string
PWDSH_DEST	password output destination, will set to screen without clipboard	clipboard	clipboard or screen
PWDSH_ECHO	character used to echo password input	*	any valid character
PWDSH_SAFE	safe directory name	safe	any valid string
PWDSH_INDEX	index file name	pwd.index	any valid string
PWDSH_BACKUP	backup archive file name	pwd.$hostname.$today.tar	any valid string
PWDSH_PEPPER	file containing "pepper" value, see Detail 1	unset (disabled)	any valid file path

See config/gpg.conf for additional GnuPG options.

Also see drduh/Purse - a fork which integrates with YubiKey instead of using a passphrase.

Details

1. The "pepper" is an additional string appended to the main passphrase to improve its strength. When the PWDSH_PEPPER option is enabled, a secret value is generated and displayed once, then saved to the respective file.

   The pepper should be written down (can be transcribed with either passphrase.html or passphrase.csv template) and stored in a durable location for backup.

   It is the opinion of the author this feature allows the use of a more memorable, weaker main passphrase without compromising overall security, provided the pepper is backed up separately from the safe.

   Warning The pepper file is not included in backup archives - without the pepper, the safe will not be accessible with the main passphrase alone! This feature is opt-in and the pepper has no effect unless explicitly enabled.