What makes a password strong?
A strong password is long, random and unique. Attackers use lists of leaked passwords and fast guessing programs, so names, dates of birth, phone numbers and words like pakistan123 are cracked in seconds. A random 16-character password with mixed characters has around 100 bits of entropy, far beyond what can be guessed.
| Password | Strength |
|---|---|
Lahore@123 | Very weak: a word plus a common pattern |
| 8 random characters | Weak by today's standards |
| 12 random characters | Good for low-value accounts |
| 16+ random characters, or 7+ random words | Strong: recommended |
Password tips for developers and IT staff
- Never reuse a password between work and personal accounts.
- Turn on two-factor authentication for email, GitHub, cloud and hosting panels.
- Store application secrets in environment variables or a secrets manager, never in your code repository.
- In your own apps, hash passwords with
bcryptorArgon2, not MD5 or SHA-1.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a strong password be?
At least 12 characters, and 16 or more for important accounts like email, banking and cloud consoles. Length matters more than complexity: every extra character multiplies the number of possible passwords.
Are passwords generated here safe?
Yes. They are created in your browser using the Web Crypto API (crypto.getRandomValues), the same secure random source used for encryption. They are never sent to our server or stored.
What is a passphrase?
A passphrase is several random words joined together, such as river-candle-orbit-mango. It is easier to remember and type than random characters. Use at least six or seven truly random words (not a phrase you chose yourself) for good strength; the meter shows how strong your passphrase is.
Why exclude similar characters?
Characters like O and 0, or l, I and 1 are easy to confuse when you read or type a password. Excluding them makes passwords easier to copy by hand, with only a tiny loss of strength.
How should I store my passwords?
Use a password manager (such as Bitwarden, 1Password or your browser's built-in manager), use a different password for every account, and turn on two-factor authentication wherever possible.
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Last reviewed 10 November 2026.