---
id: pwdlib
version: "0.3.1"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# pwdlib — Modern password hashing for Python

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 3.1M/mo

## What it is and what it does

pwdlib is a lightweight password hashing library for modern Python that wraps secure algorithms behind a simple, consistent API. It was created to address maintenance gaps in older libraries that will not work with Python 3.13 and later. The library deliberately keeps its scope narrow—it focuses on hashing and verifying passwords with modern, secure algorithms rather than attempting to support legacy algorithms.

You use it by creating a PasswordHash instance (typically via PasswordHash.recommended() to get sensible defaults), then calling hash() to create a password digest and verify() to check a plaintext password against a stored hash. It has a single runtime dependency (typing-extensions) and installs cleanly; optional algorithm backends are pulled in via pip extras.

Use it for:

- Secure user authentication in web applications by hashing passwords at registration and verifying them at login.
- Modernizing authentication layers in projects that need to support Python 3.13 and later.
- Building password management systems that require modern, audited hashing algorithms without legacy algorithm support.
- Prototyping authentication where a minimal, well-maintained password API is preferred over larger libraries.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides a modern, easy-to-use wrapper for hashing and verifying passwords using secure algorithms, designed as a contemporary alternative to older password hashing libraries.

Yes, if you need straightforward password hashing for modern Python projects. The library is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, installs cleanly, and supports Python 3.10–3.14. The Beta status is not a blocker given the narrow, focused scope. Install it if you want a simple, secure alternative; skip it only if you need legacy algorithm support or broader feature coverage.

## Install

pip install pwdlib
uv add pwdlib
poetry add pwdlib

## Installing pwdlib

Before you install: Low friction install with a single runtime dependency (typing-extensions). The project is actively maintained with a recent release (2 days ago) and supports current Python versions (3.10–3.14), though it is still in Beta status.

License in practice: Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute the package freely in both open-source and proprietary projects without restriction.

Quickstart:

pip install pwdlib

from pwdlib import PasswordHash

password_hash = PasswordHash.recommended()
hash = password_hash.hash("herminetincture")
password_hash.verify("herminetincture", hash)

Requires Python 3.10 or later; optional algorithm backends must be installed via extras.

Verify before relying:

- Whether algorithm implementations are directly embedded or delegated to external libraries.
- Performance characteristics and memory usage compared to alternatives.
- Complete list of supported hashing algorithms beyond those mentioned in quickstart.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 3.1M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

password hashing, secure password verification, modern password hash, python password security, hash and verify passwords, argon2 bcrypt, authentication, cryptography

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