Salt

noun

say it: “SAWLT” /sɔːlt/

A random value mixed into each password before hashing, so identical passwords give different hashes.

What is Salt?

Salt — A random value made for each user and mixed into their password before it's hashed, then stored beside the hash. Two people with the same password get different hashes, so an attacker can't look them up in a table of known hashes.

In a sentence

  • “Each user gets their own salt, so two people with the password "chai123" have different hashes.”

Level: Journeyman · More Web Development terms at this level

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