pwgen

README

pwgen-go

Command line passphrase generator written in Go.

The EFF Diceware Wordlists are embedded, with the long wordlist used by default. See the EFF's Deep Dive for more details on the benefits of this word list.

Installation

APT (Ubuntu, Debian)

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1. If you don't have it already, install the ca-certificates package

   sudo apt install ca-certificates
   

2. Add gabe565 apt repository

   echo 'deb [trusted=yes] https://apt.gabe565.com /' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gabe565.list
   

3. Update apt repositories

   sudo apt update
   

4. Install pwgen-go

   sudo apt install pwgen-go
   

RPM (CentOS, RHEL)

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1. If you don't have it already, install the ca-certificates package

   sudo dnf install ca-certificates
   

2. Add gabe565 rpm repository to /etc/yum.repos.d/gabe565.repo

   [gabe565]
   name=gabe565
   baseurl=https://rpm.gabe565.com
   enabled=1
   gpgcheck=0
   

3. Install pwgen-go

   sudo dnf install pwgen-go
   

AUR (Arch Linux)

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Install pwgen-go-bin with your AUR helper of choice.

Homebrew (macOS, Linux)

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Install pwgen-go from gabe565/homebrew-tap:

brew install gabe565/tap/pwgen-go

Manual Installation

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Download and run the latest release binary for your system and architecture.

Usage

Run pwgen to generate a list of random passphrases.

Predefined profiles are available — see pwgen profiles for a list of defaults. You can specify a profile or a template as a positional argument. If the argument resembles a Go template, it will be interpreted as such; otherwise, it will be treated as a profile. (For explicit control, you can also use the --template (-t) or --profile (-p) flags.)

To change the number of generated results, pass a number to the --count (-c) flag.

Pwgen takes advantage of shell completion; for example, when choosing a profile, try pwgen <TAB><TAB>.

Also see the generated docs.

Examples

By default, pwgen will generate passwords with 4 words from the EFF Long Wordlist and a random number:

$ pwgen
Pebbly1-Destitute-Shelve-Renter
Mushiness-Possibly0-Trustee-Outfit
Trimness-Freebase-Spotless-Manmade2
Recall7-Uncrushed-Agreeing-Crepe
Tavern-Moustache1-Scrubber-Mashed
Lyrically2-Comic-Imitate-Victory
Idiom-Jockey-Subheader6-Scallop
Blot-Sympathy-Nurture-Spotter5
Womanhood6-Capsize-Zigzagged-Siesta
Unwomanly-Unwashed-Urchin-Empty1

Profiles

$ pwgen -c1 alphanum:16
cFAutu4OizPQ0d3N
$ pwgen -c1 words:5
tinker coagulant bundle gave deviator
$ pwgen -c1 pin:6
771283

Templates

$ pwgen -c1 '{{ binary 16 | b64enc }}'
kENvfNLHw/GcwID3TGEIgg==

Configuration

A configuration file will be generated the first time pwgen-go is run. Depending on your operating system, the file will be available at:

• Windows: %AppData%\pwgen-go\config.toml
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/pwgen-go/config.toml
• Linux: ~/.config/pwgen-go/config.toml

An example configuration is also available at config_example.toml.

Templating

Templated passphrases are generated using Go's text/template package.

All Sprig functions are available, plus some extras documented here.

Security

• Local Generation: All passphrases are generated directly on your device. No data is sent or received externally.
• Bundled Resources: The EFF wordlists are embedded within the binary, ensuring no external data is fetched during generation.
• Cryptographic Quality: All random functions use cryptographically secure (crypto/rand) random strings.
• Anonymity by Design: By default, 10 passphrases are generated to help obscure which one you choose.