pwd.sh is a Bash shell script to manage text-based secrets, such as passwords.

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

Each secret is individually encrypted to a randomly-named file in the safe directory. An encrypted index is used to map usernames to the respective secret file. Both the index and secret files can be decrypted with GnuPG without requiring pwd.sh.

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 create a secret
• r to access a secret
• l to list all secrets
• b to create a backup archive
• 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	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.

Pepper

The Pepper is an additional string appended to the safe passphrase to improve its strength. When the PWDSH_PEPPER option is set to a valid path, a secret value is generated and displayed once, then saved to the respective file.

The Pepper should be written down (for example, transcribed with passphrase.html or passphrase.txt template) and stored in a secure, durable location for backup.

This feature may enable use of a more memorable - and possibly weaker passphrase - for convenience, while still guarding backups against passphrase brute-force attempts (provided the Pepper is backed up separately).

The Pepper feature is opt-in and has no effect unless explicitly enabled.