bcrypt() is a sophisticated and secure hash algorithm designed by The OpenBSD project for hashing passwords. bcrypt-ruby provides a simple, humane wrapper for safely handling passwords. = bcrypt-ruby An easy way to keep your users' passwords secure. * http://bcrypt-ruby.rubyforge.org/ * http://github.com/codahale/bcrypt-ruby/tree/master == Why you should use bcrypt If you store user passwords in the clear, then an attacker who steals a copy of your database has a giant list of emails and passwords. Some of your users will only have one password - for their email account, for their banking account, for your application. A simple hack could escalate into massive identity theft. It's your responsibility as a web developer to make your web application secure - blaming your users for not being security experts is not a professional response to risk. bcrypt allows you to easily harden your application against these kinds of attacks.