How to Manage Passwords Using the Command Line on Linux

         With password-based authentication so prevalent, you may need a password management tool. There are various options varying in complexity, UI, and target environment. For example, there are GUI-based password managers likeKeePass(X)。

For those who prefer CLI over GUI, I will explain how to use passto manage passwords,a simple command-line password management tool.。

This tool is actually a shell script frontend calling tools like gpg, pwgen, git, and xsel to manage passwords with OpenPGP. Each password is encrypted with gpg and stored in a local password store. Passwords can be accessed via terminal or auto-clearing clipboard.

It is very flexible and easy to use. Store each password in an OpenPGP-protected text file, organized into categories. It supports bash autocompletion with TAB for commands or long password names.

Install pass on Linux

Install pass on Debian, Ubuntu, or Linux Mint:

1. $ sudo apt–get install pass
2. $ echo “source /etc/bash_completion.d/password-store” >> ~/.bashrc

Install pass on Fedora:

1. $ sudo yum install pass
2. $ echo “source /etc/bash_completion.d/password-store” >> ~/.bashrc

Install pass on CentOS: firstenable the EPEL repository, then run:

1. $ sudo yum install pass
2. $ echo “source /etc/bash_completion.d/password-store” >> ~/.bashrc

Install pass on Arch Linux:

1. $ sudo pac –S pass
2. $ echo “source /etc/bash_completion.d/password-store” >> ~/.bashrc

Initialize Local Password Store

Before using pass, initialize it by creating a GPG key pair (if you do not have one) and a local password store.

First, create a GPG key pair (public/private). Skip if you already have one.

1. $ gpg —gen–key

You will be prompted; accept defaults if unsure. Create a passphrase – your master password. The key pair is stored in ~/.gnupg directory.

Next, initialize the local password store. Enter the email associated with your GPG key:

1. $ pass init <gpg–id>

This creates a password store in ~/.password-store.

Manage Passwords with pass in Terminal

Insert New Password

To insert a new password into the store:

1. $ pass insert <password–name>

is a unique name, optionally hierarchical (e.g., “finance/tdbank”, “online/gmail.com”). Passwords are stored in corresponding subdirectories under ~/.password-store.

Use the -m option for multi-line passwords. Enter in any format and press Ctrl+D to finish.

1. $ pass insert <password–name> –m

List All Password Names

To list all stored password names, simply enter “pass”:

1. $ pass

Retrieve Password from Store

To access a specific password:

1. $ pass <password–name>

Example:

1. $ pass email/gmail.com

will prompt for your passphrase to unlock the key.

To copy password to clipboard instead of displaying it:

1. $ pass –c email/gmail.com

The clipboard is automatically cleared after 45 seconds.

Generate and Store New Password

You can also generate a random password. pass uses pwgen for this. Specify the length and whether to include symbols.

For example, generate a 10-character password without symbols:

1. $ pass generate email/new_service.com 10 –n

Remove Password

Removing an existing password is easy:

1. $ pass rm email/gmail.com

In summary, pass is flexible, portable, and easy to use. For those seeking a simple, effective, secure CLI-based password manager, I highly recommend pass.

via: http://xmodulo.com/2014/05/manage-passwords-command-line-linux.html