Argon2id is a memory-hard password hashing algorithm that won the Password Hashing Competition in 2015, combining resistance to both GPU and side-channel attacks.
Argon2id
Argon2id is a memory-hard password hashing algorithm that won the Password Hashing Competition in 2015, combining resistance to both GPU and side-channel attacks.
Why It Matters
Weak password hashing (MD5, SHA-1, even bcrypt with low rounds) enables credential stuffing attacks at scale. Argon2id is OWASP's recommended hashing algorithm because its memory-hardness makes brute-force attacks economically infeasible.
How It Works
Argon2id combines Argon2i (data-independent, side-channel resistant) and Argon2d (data-dependent, GPU resistant) approaches. It requires configurable memory, time, and parallelism parameters, making each hash computation expensive for attackers to replicate at scale.
Best Practices
- Use minimum 64MB memory and 3 iterations for interactive logins
- Increase parameters as hardware improves
- Generate unique salts per password
- Store the full parameter set alongside the hash for future upgrades
Common Mistakes
- Using parameters too low to be effective
- Falling back to bcrypt when Argon2id is available
- Not storing the algorithm parameters, making upgrades impossible
How ShieldKey Helps
ShieldKey hashes all account passwords using Argon2id with high memory and iteration parameters, protecting user accounts even in the event of a database compromise.
Try ShieldKey FreeFAQ
Is Argon2id better than bcrypt?
Yes. Argon2id is memory-hard, making it resistant to GPU-based attacks that can crack bcrypt hashes. It is OWASP's primary recommendation for password hashing.