Derive cryptographic keys from passwords or master secrets with PBKDF2, Scrypt, or HKDF.
Last updated: June 2026 | By Workshelve Team
Standards-based password stretching using repeated HMAC rounds.
Best for interoperability and browser-native derivation.
Enter a secret, choose a KDF, and generate key material in the browser.
A key derivation function turns a secret, password, or master key into new cryptographic key material with controlled parameters. Password-based KDFs such as PBKDF2 and Scrypt can make brute-force guessing more expensive, while HKDF is intended for deriving purpose-specific keys from high-entropy input keying material.
Store the salt and derivation parameters needed to reproduce the output. Treat derived key material as secret unless your protocol specifically defines it as a verifier or public value.
Enter a password, choose a hash function, provide a hex salt, and set the iteration count.
Enter a password, provide a hex salt, and tune the cost factor, block size, and parallelism.
Use high-entropy input keying material plus optional hex salt and optional context info to derive a purpose-specific key.
| Algorithm | Best for | Requires | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBKDF2 | Interoperable password stretching | Password, hex salt, iterations | Hex key bytes |
| Scrypt | Memory-hard derivation | Password, hex salt, cost params | Hex key bytes |
| HKDF | Key expansion from strong secrets | IKM, optional hex salt, optional info | Hex key bytes |
Use derived bytes only according to your protocol. Store salts and derivation parameters; do not store raw encryption keys unless your design explicitly requires it.