htpasswd is a simple method for providing access control to files and folders on an Apache web server.
It is a simple flat-file authentication system and therefore does not require a database to work. The .htpasswd usernames and passwords are stored in a .htpasswd file on the web server with each set of user credentials placed on a new line inside of the file.
In order to secure the web server using a .htpasswd file there must also be a corresponding .htaccess file which is used to initialise the authentication settings stored within the htpasswd file.
There are several options for encrypting the passwords for authentication, but not all methods are as secure or portable as the others. These encryption formats include crypt, MD5, SHA1, CRYPT and Plain Text. SHA1, CRYPT and Plain Text are insecure and are not recommended for use on public websites.
All of the passwords generated using this htpasswd generator use the MD5 format, which offers a secure encryption of the passwords and is compatible with both Windows and Linux environments.