---
layout: page
category-page: intermediate
category-title: Intermediate commands
tags: password dashlane keypass manager gpg encrypt sync
author: Claudio Maggioni
title: pass
---
<p>
The <code>pass</code> command, also known as <i>Password Store</i>, is an
entirely offline password manager that uses <i>GPG</i> for encryption with
the ability to sync the (entirely encrypted) passwords using <code>git</code>.
<code>pass</code> works on <i>MacOS</i> (avaliable via
<a href="https://brew.sh">Homebrew</a>), <i>Linux</i> and on
<i>Android</i> (with a GUI app). Think of it as an entirely FLOSS
alternative to services like <i>Keypass</i> or <i>Dashlane</i>.<br>

Excluding the initial setup (that requires the creation of a <i>GPG key</i>),
<code>pass</code> is very easy and straightforward to use: instead of
printing passwords to <i>stdout</i>, <code>pass</code> copies them in the
system clipboard, erasing them after a certain number of seconds (usually
<i>45</i>).<br>

<code>pass</code> has many unofficial GUI clients and migration scripts from
other password managers. For more information, check out
<a href=https://www.passwordstore.org/#other">the official website</a>.
</p>

<h3>Setup</h3>

<p>
An accurate walkthrough through the setup of <code>pass</code>, in addition
to some other useful sets of commands (such as how to migrate the password
repository to another computer) is provided
in this <a href="https://gist.github.com/flbuddymooreiv/a4f24da7e0c3552942ff">
GitHub Gist</a> by <a href="https://github.com/flbuddymooreiv">
<i>flbuddymooreiv</i></a>.<br>

For more detailed explainations on the setup process or on any commands
please check out the online version of the
<a href="https://git.zx2c4.com/password-store/about/">man page</a>, which is
surprisingly more readable that most of the man pages for other utilities.
</p>

<h3>Usage</h3>

<p>
Common <code>pass</code> commands are shown below. For more information refer
to the documentation linked above.<br>

Example: Initialize the password repository with a GPG key with id "0DEADBEEF"

<pre>
pass init 0DEADBEEF
</pre>

Example: Insert a password for <i>example.com</i> with username <i>bob</i> in
  the password repository interactively

<pre>
pass insert example.com/bob
</pre>

Please note that the password <i>name</i> here follows the most common
naming convention in <code>pass</code>, which is
<code>{website}/{username}</code>. Passwords can be stored in
hierarchical structures (i.e. in nested folders), but the naming is up to the
user.<br>

Example: Generate a password for <i>zombo.com</i> of 16 characters and copy it in
the clipboard

<pre>
pass generate -c zombo.com/bob 16
</pre>

Example: Retrieve the password for <i>google.com</i> and copy it in the system
clipboard (<code>-c</code> flag)

<pre>
pass -c google.com/bob@gmail.com
</pre>

Example: Edit the password for <i>facebook.com</i> using the default editor

<pre>
pass edit facebook.com/bob
</pre>

Edit: Convert the password repository to a git repository for synchronization

<pre>
pass git init
</pre>

Every <code>git</code> command on the password repository must be given with
the prefix <code>pass git</code> (e.g. <code>pass git push</code>). An
automatic commit is performed whenever a password is created, edited or
deleted.
</p>