path: root/Doc/library/secrets.rst

:mod:`secrets` --- Generate secure random numbers for managing secrets
======================================================================

.. module:: secrets
   :synopsis: Generate secure random numbers for managing secrets.

.. moduleauthor:: Steven D'Aprano <steve+python@pearwood.info>
.. sectionauthor:: Steven D'Aprano <steve+python@pearwood.info>
.. versionadded:: 3.6

.. testsetup::

   from secrets import *
   __name__ = '<doctest>'

**Source code:** :source:`Lib/secrets.py`

-------------

The :mod:`secrets` module is used for generating cryptographically strong
random numbers suitable for managing data such as passwords, account
authentication, security tokens, and related secrets.

In particular, :mod:`secrets` should be used in preference to the
default pseudo-random number generator in the :mod:`random` module, which
is designed for modelling and simulation, not security or cryptography.

.. seealso::

   :pep:`506`


Random numbers
--------------

The :mod:`secrets` module provides access to the most secure source of
randomness that your operating system provides.

.. class:: SystemRandom

   A class for generating random numbers using the highest-quality
   sources provided by the operating system.  See
   :class:`random.SystemRandom` for additional details.

.. function:: choice(sequence)

   Return a randomly-chosen element from a non-empty sequence.

.. function:: randbelow(n)

   Return a random int in the range [0, *n*).

.. function:: randbits(k)

   Return an int with *k* random bits.


Generating tokens
-----------------

The :mod:`secrets` module provides functions for generating secure
tokens, suitable for applications such as password resets,
hard-to-guess URLs, and similar.

.. function:: token_bytes([nbytes=None])

   Return a random byte string containing *nbytes* number of bytes.
   If *nbytes* is ``None`` or not supplied, a reasonable default is
   used.

   .. doctest::

      >>> token_bytes(16)  #doctest:+SKIP
      b'\xebr\x17D*t\xae\xd4\xe3S\xb6\xe2\xebP1\x8b'


.. function:: token_hex([nbytes=None])

   Return a random text string, in hexadecimal.  The string has *nbytes*
   random bytes, each byte converted to two hex digits.  If *nbytes* is
   ``None`` or not supplied, a reasonable default is used.

   .. doctest::

      >>> token_hex(16)  #doctest:+SKIP
      'f9bf78b9a18ce6d46a0cd2b0b86df9da'

.. function:: token_urlsafe([nbytes=None])

   Return a random URL-safe text string, containing *nbytes* random
   bytes.  The text is Base64 encoded, so on average each byte results
   in approximately 1.3 characters.  If *nbytes* is ``None`` or not
   supplied, a reasonable default is used.

   .. doctest::

      >>> token_urlsafe(16)  #doctest:+SKIP
      'Drmhze6EPcv0fN_81Bj-nA'


How many bytes should tokens use?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

To be secure against
`brute-force attacks <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brute-force_attack>`_,
tokens need to have sufficient randomness.  Unfortunately, what is
considered sufficient will necessarily increase as computers get more
powerful and able to make more guesses in a shorter period.  As of 2015,
it is believed that 32 bytes (256 bits) of randomness is sufficient for
the typical use-case expected for the :mod:`secrets` module.

For those who want to manage their own token length, you can explicitly
specify how much randomness is used for tokens by giving an :class:`int`
argument to the various ``token_*`` functions.  That argument is taken
as the number of bytes of randomness to use.

Otherwise, if no argument is provided, or if the argument is ``None``,
the ``token_*`` functions will use a reasonable default instead.

.. note::

   That default is subject to change at any time, including during
   maintenance releases.


Other functions
---------------

.. function:: compare_digest(a, b)

   Return ``True`` if strings *a* and *b* are equal, otherwise ``False``,
   in such a way as to reduce the risk of
   `timing attacks <https://codahale.com/a-lesson-in-timing-attacks/>`_.
   See :func:`hmac.compare_digest` for additional details.


Recipes and best practices
--------------------------

This section shows recipes and best practices for using :mod:`secrets`
to manage a basic level of security.

Generate an eight-character alphanumeric password:

.. testcode::

   import string
   import secrets
   alphabet = string.ascii_letters + string.digits
   password = ''.join(secrets.choice(alphabet) for i in range(8))


.. note::

   Applications should not
   `store passwords in a recoverable format <http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/257.html>`_,
   whether plain text or encrypted.  They should be salted and hashed
   using a cryptographically-strong one-way (irreversible) hash function.


Generate a ten-character alphanumeric password with at least one
lowercase character, at least one uppercase character, and at least
three digits:

.. testcode::

   import string
   import secrets
   alphabet = string.ascii_letters + string.digits
   while True:
       password = ''.join(secrets.choice(alphabet) for i in range(10))
       if (any(c.islower() for c in password)
               and any(c.isupper() for c in password)
               and sum(c.isdigit() for c in password) >= 3):
           break


Generate an `XKCD-style passphrase <https://xkcd.com/936/>`_:

.. testcode::

   import secrets
   # On standard Linux systems, use a convenient dictionary file.
   # Other platforms may need to provide their own word-list.
   with open('/usr/share/dict/words') as f:
       words = [word.strip() for word in f]
       password = ' '.join(secrets.choice(words) for i in range(4))


Generate a hard-to-guess temporary URL containing a security token
suitable for password recovery applications:

.. testcode::

   import secrets
   url = 'https://mydomain.com/reset=' + secrets.token_urlsafe()



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