Credentials in web applications: how to store them properly

📰 Dev.to · Ian Johnson

Learn how to store credentials properly in web applications to prevent breaches

intermediate Published 14 May 2026

Action Steps

Use a secure password hashing algorithm like Argon2 or PBKDF2 to store passwords
Implement a secrets manager like Hashicorp's Vault to store sensitive credentials
Configure environment variables to store credentials securely
Use a library like OAuth to handle authentication and authorization
Test your application's credential storage using tools like OWASP's ZAP

Who Needs to Know This

Developers and DevOps teams can benefit from this knowledge to improve the security of their web applications

Key Insight

💡 Storing credentials properly is crucial to preventing breaches and protecting user data