PBKDF2 Key Generator – Secure Password-Based Key Derivation
Derive cryptographic keys from passwords using PBKDF2 with adjustable iterations, salt formats, and hash algorithms. Perfect for password storage, API secrets, and encryption keys.
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PBKDF2 Key Generator
Derive cryptographically strong keys from passwords using PBKDF2. Configure iterations, key length, salt format, and hashing algorithm to match security policies or platform requirements.
Derivation Settings
Provide a password or passphrase and a salt value, then configure the PBKDF2 parameters to derive a deterministic cryptographic key.
PBKDF2 requires a unique salt per password to prevent rainbow table attacks.
Derived Key Output
PBKDF2 output is deterministic: the same password, salt, iterations, key length, and hash algorithm will always produce the same key.
Security Recommendations
• Use a unique, randomly generated salt (at least 16 bytes) for every password you hash.
• Prefer SHA-256 or stronger hash functions for new systems.
• Increase iterations regularly to keep pace with faster hardware (100k–600k iterations is common for modern applications).
• Store the salt alongside the derived key; it is not secret.
• Consider peppering (additional server-side secret) for high sensitivity applications.
What is PBKDF2?
Deployment Tip
Examples of Real-World Usage
5 real-world examples
Password Hashing
Hash user passwords before storing them in a database, combining a unique salt and high iteration count.
API Secret Derivation
Create deterministic API keys, JWT signing secrets, or HMAC keys from a master password plus per-service salts.
Security Benchmarking
Measure PBKDF2 performance on production hardware to tune iteration counts for authentication workflows.
Multi-Tenant Applications
Generate tenant-specific encryption keys by combining organization identifiers with user credentials.
Legacy Migration
Validate PBKDF2 parameters when migrating from older password hashing schemes to modern standards.
Advanced PBKDF2 Features
Everything you need to tune PBKDF2 for production systems: choose hash algorithms, measure iteration performance, generate salts, and export deterministic keys.
Configurable Hash Algorithms
Choose between SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512 to meet platform or compliance requirements.
Flexible Key Lengths
Derive keys from 128-bit up to 512-bit, ideal for AES keys, JWT signing secrets, API credentials, and more.
Iteration Benchmarking
Adjust PBKDF2 rounds from 1K to 2M and track derivation time to find the right balance between security and performance.
Secure Salt Generation
Generate cryptographically random salts in Base64, Hex, or raw text to prevent rainbow-table attacks.
Deterministic Output
Ensure consistent key derivation by locking down password, salt, iterations, hash algorithm, and output format.
Security Presets
Preconfigured iteration counts and salt lengths aligned with OWASP Password Storage guidelines.
How to Use
Simple 4-step process
Step 1
Enter a strong password or passphrase that you want to derive a key from.
Step 2
Provide a unique salt or generate a random one. Pick the correct salt format (Base64, Hex, or text).
Step 3
Set iterations, key length, hash algorithm, and desired output encoding.
Step 4
Click Derive Key to generate the PBKDF2 output and copy the result for your application.
PBKDF2 Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about our process, pricing, and technical capabilities.
See Full FAQPBKDF2 (Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2) hardens passwords by combining them with a salt and hashing them many times. It is commonly used for password storage, generating encryption keys, and deriving secrets for APIs or tokens.
OWASP recommends using the highest iteration count that keeps authentication under 500ms on your infrastructure. For modern systems, 100k–600k iterations is typical, but you should benchmark on your own hardware.
No. Always generate a new random salt per password. Salts do not need to be secret, but they must be unique to prevent attackers from using precomputed tables.
SHA-1 is considered legacy and collision-prone. Use SHA-256 or stronger hash functions unless you must maintain compatibility with an older system.
Store the derived key and salt together, usually in your database alongside metadata like iterations and hash algorithm. Never store the original password.
PBKDF2 is deterministic: the same inputs produce the same output. This property is required for password verification—hash incoming passwords with the same parameters and compare results.
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