How Does PHP's `password_hash` Function Securely Handle Password Storage and Verification?

Understanding Password Hashing with PHP's password_hash

In the pursuit of enhancing password security, you've come across PHP's password_hash function. To clarify your inquiries:

Salt Generation and Storage

Yes, password_hash automatically generates a salt during hashing. Storing the salt in the database is sufficient for securely hashing passwords.

Multiple Salts

Using multiple salts is not recommended. Storing salts in plain text can compromise security, as compromising the salt in either the file or the database weakens password protection.

Password Hashing Process

Let's delve into the password hashing process:

1. Start with the raw password: $password = $_POST['password'];
2. Hash the password using password_hash: $hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT);
3. Store the hashed password in the database, ensuring it accommodates the hashed value's length (60 characters).
4. When a user attempts to log in, retrieve the hashed password from the database: $hashed_password = /* query from database */
5. Compare the user's input password with the hashed password using password_verify: if (password_verify($password, $hashed_password)) { /* user is authenticated */ }

Remember, password_hash is the current recommendation for secure password storage. For further insights, refer to the official PHP documentation at https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.password-hash.php.

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