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libxcrypt

brew install libxcrypt v4.5.2 LGPL-2.1-or-later keg-only

C library implementing modern and legacy password hashing algorithms (bcrypt, scrypt, SHA-crypt, yescrypt, and others).

Why you might care

Essential build dependency for applications needing robust password hashing beyond basic crypt(). macOS provides an older crypt implementation; libxcrypt offers modern algorithms like bcrypt and scrypt with better security properties. Keg-only on Homebrew since macOS includes crypt, but required by software expecting extended hashing support.

Categories

Alternatives

OpenSSL libsodium macOS system crypt
44.7k
30-day installs · #145
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90-day · #123
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365-day · #135
236
★ GitHub stars · updated 6mo ago

Links

Keg-only reason

:provided_by_macos

Blurb generated by claude-haiku-4-5 on today.

Raw metadata
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    "OpenSSL",
    "libsodium",
    "macOS system crypt"
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    "security",
    "crypto"
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  "caveats": null,
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  "desc": "Extended crypt library for descrypt, md5crypt, bcrypt, and others",
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  "github_readme_excerpt": "[![Build matrix](https://github.com/besser82/libxcrypt/actions/workflows/config-matrix.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/besser82/libxcrypt/actions/workflows/config-matrix.yml)\n[![Memcheck](https://github.com/besser82/libxcrypt/actions/workflows/memcheck.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/besser82/libxcrypt/actions/workflows/memcheck.yml)\n[![Distcheck](https://github.com/besser82/libxcrypt/actions/workflows/distcheck.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/besser82/libxcrypt/actions/workflows/distcheck.yml)\n[![COPR Build Status](https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/besser82/libxcrypt_CI/package/libxcrypt/status_image/last_build.png)](https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/besser82/libxcrypt_CI)\n[![codecov](https://codecov.io/gh/besser82/libxcrypt/branch/develop/graph/badge.svg)](https://codecov.io/gh/besser82/libxcrypt)\n[![Coverity Scan Build Status](https://scan.coverity.com/projects/17073/badge.svg)](https://scan.coverity.com/projects/besser82-libxcrypt)\n[![Codacy Badge](https://api.codacy.com/project/badge/Grade/1ebaa2314aca4bab92e14130906d5096)](https://www.codacy.com/manual/besser82/libxcrypt?utm_source=github.com\u0026amp;utm_medium=referral\u0026amp;utm_content=besser82/libxcrypt\u0026amp;utm_campaign=Badge_Grade)\n\nREADME for libxcrypt\n====================\n\nlibxcrypt is a modern library for one-way hashing of passwords.  It\nsupports a wide variety of both modern and historical hashing methods:\nyescrypt, gost-yescrypt, sm3-yescrypt, scrypt, bcrypt, sha512crypt,\nsha256crypt, sm3crypt, md5crypt, SunMD5, sha1crypt, NT, bsdicrypt,\nbigcrypt, and descrypt.\nIt provides the traditional Unix `crypt` and `crypt_r` interfaces, as\nwell as a set of extended interfaces pioneered by Openwall Linux,\n`crypt_rn`, `crypt_ra`, `crypt_gensalt`, `crypt_gensalt_rn`, and\n`crypt_gensalt_ra`.\n\nlibxcrypt is intended to be used by `login(1)`, `passwd(1)`, and other\nsimilar programs; that is, to hash a small number of passwords during\nan interactive authentication dialogue with a human.  It is not\nsuita",
  "github_repo": "besser82/libxcrypt",
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  "last_seen": "2026-06-20T23:34:18+00:00",
  "license": "LGPL-2.1-or-later",
  "llm_generated_at": "2026-06-20T23:43:01+00:00",
  "llm_model": "claude-haiku-4-5",
  "name": "libxcrypt",
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  "one_liner": "C library implementing modern and legacy password hashing algorithms (bcrypt, scrypt, SHA-crypt, yescrypt, and others).",
  "optional_dependencies": [],
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  "ruby_source_path": "Formula/lib/libxcrypt.rb",
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  "version_head": null,
  "version_stable": "4.5.2",
  "versioned_formulae": [],
  "why_use_this": "Essential build dependency for applications needing robust password hashing beyond basic crypt(). macOS provides an older crypt implementation; libxcrypt offers modern algorithms like bcrypt and scrypt with better security properties. Keg-only on Homebrew since macOS includes crypt, but required by software expecting extended hashing support."
}