Learn how to generate bcrypt password hashes online. Compare bcrypt vs MD5/SHA, pick the right cost factor, and verify hashes with our free tool.
What Is Bcrypt and Why Should You Use It?
If you're storing user passwords in a database, bcrypt is one of the safest hashing algorithms you can pick. Unlike fast hashes like MD5 or SHA-256, bcrypt is deliberately slow — and that's the whole point. It makes brute-force attacks painfully expensive for attackers.
Bcrypt combines a salt with the password and runs it through a configurable number of rounds (called the cost factor). The result is a self-contained hash string that includes the salt, the cost, and the hash itself. You never need to store the salt separately.
When Would You Use a Bcrypt Generator?
You don't always need to write code to create a bcrypt hash. There are plenty of situations where an online tool is the fastest option:
- Migrating a legacy database — you need to re-hash old plaintext passwords before deleting the original column.
- Seeding test data — spinning up a dev environment and need realistic hash strings for user accounts.
- Quick verification — checking whether a stored hash matches a given password without writing a test script.
- Learning and debugging — understanding how bcrypt output changes with different cost factors.
How to Use the Bcrypt Generator
Our free tool at tools.triweb.com.au/en/bcrypt-generator is straightforward:
- Enter the password or string you want to hash.
- Choose a cost factor (the default of 10 is fine for most projects; higher values are slower but more secure).
- Click Generate — you'll get a hash like
$2b$10$N9qo8uLOickgx2ZMRZoMye.... - Copy the result or verify it against an existing hash.
The tool also lets you verify a password against a bcrypt hash, so you can confirm your authentication logic works before deploying.
Bcrypt vs Other Hash Algorithms
Here's a quick comparison to put bcrypt in context:
- MD5 / SHA-1: Fast — great for checksums, terrible for passwords. Crackable in seconds on modern GPUs.
- SHA-256 / SHA-512: Still too fast for password storage without key stretching.
- bcrypt: Built-in salt, adjustable cost factor, battle-tested since 1999.
- Argon2: The newest option (winner of the Password Hashing Competition), but bcrypt remains the most widely supported across languages and frameworks.
For most web applications, bcrypt is the sweet spot of security, compatibility, and simplicity.
Choosing the Right Cost Factor
The cost factor determines how many rounds of hashing are applied. Each increment doubles the computation time. Here's a rule of thumb:
- Cost 10 — good default; hashes in ~100ms on a typical server.
- Cost 12 — better for high-security applications; hashes in ~400ms.
- Cost 14+ — only if you can tolerate multi-second delays (e.g., admin accounts).
Start with 10 and benchmark on your own hardware. The goal is to make hashing slow enough to deter attackers without degrading your login experience.
Start Generating Bcrypt Hashes
Ready to try it? Head over to our free Bcrypt Generator and create your first hash in seconds. It works entirely in your browser — nothing is sent to a server, so your passwords stay private.