Password Manager

Abstract

This project presents a Password Manager, a secure web-based application developed to help users store and manage their passwords safely. Many people still use weak or repeated passwords, which increases the chances of cyberattacks and data loss. To address this issue, the Password Manager provides a simple and reliable way to keep all passwords protected in one place. The system uses AES-256 encryption, PBKDF2 key derivation, and a master password to ensure that only the user can access their data. It is built using React, Node.js, TypeScript, and PostgreSQL, offering features like secure password storage, strong password generation, category-wise organization, and auto-lock for safety. This project highlights the importance of safe password practices and shows how modern web technologies can support better cybersecurity. The core strength of this Password Manager lies in its robust, multi-layered security architecture, specifically designed to address the vulnerabilities inherent in typical password management. AES-256 (Advanced Encryption Standard with a 256-bit key) is utilized as the primary symmetric encryption algorithm, universally recognized for its high level of security and computational efficiency .Before encryption can occur, the user\'s single, high-entropy master password is never stored directly. Instead, it is transformed into a strong cryptographic key using the PBKDF2) algorithm. PBKDF2 introduces a salt and a high iteration count to make brute-force attacks computationally infeasible, ensuring that even if the database is compromised, the encrypted password vault remains secure. The system\'s backend, built with Node.js and TypeScript, provides a fast, type-safe, and scalable API, communicating with a PostgreSQL database used exclusively to store the securely encrypted blobs of data, never the plain-text passwords or the master password itself. This combination ensures data integrity and high availability while maintaining a strict zero-knowledge security standard. Enhanced User Experience and Cybersecurity Impact Beyond the foundational security, the application provides essential features that promote better cybersecurity habits among users. Developed with React for a responsive and intuitive user interface, the Password Manager offers a seamless experience for managing credentials. Its strong password generation feature mitigates the risk of users choosing weak or easily guessable passwords, a leading cause of data breaches. Furthermore, the ability to organize credentials category-wise significantly improves usability and management efficiency. Crucially, the auto-lock safety mechanism automatically logs the user out after a period of inactivity, protecting the unlocked vault from unauthorized access on a shared or unattended device. This project effectively demonstrates how modern web development technologies React for front-end, Node.js/TypeScript for back-end, and PostgreSQL for data storage can be integrated to deliver a practical and high-impact solution to a critical real-world cybersecurity challenge: eliminating the dependence on weak and repeated passwords.

Introduction

The text discusses the growing challenge of managing multiple online accounts in the modern digital world and the security risks caused by weak, reused, or poorly stored passwords. As cyberattacks, data breaches, and identity theft increase, secure password management has become essential for all users. A Password Manager offers an effective solution by storing credentials in a single encrypted vault, generating strong passwords automatically, and requiring users to remember only one master password.

The proposed Password Manager project focuses on combining strong security with ease of use. It employs industry-standard cryptographic techniques such as AES-256 encryption and PBKDF2 key derivation, along with a zero-knowledge architecture where all encryption and decryption occur on the client side. This ensures that neither the server nor the developer can access user passwords in plain text. The system is built using modern web technologies, including React, TypeScript, Node.js, Express, and PostgreSQL, and provides features such as password generation, strength analysis, category-based organization, real-time search, auto-lock, and secure import/export for backups.

The project objectives include secure credential storage, automatic strong password generation, efficient organization and retrieval, improved user experience, privacy protection, data portability, scalability, and increased user awareness of password safety. Its scope covers frontend and backend development, encryption implementation, UI/UX design, and secure deployment.

Related work highlights common password weaknesses, the evolution of password managers, the importance of zero-knowledge systems, cryptographic standards, and usability considerations. The methodology follows a structured approach involving requirement analysis, modular system design, frontend and backend development, and robust security implementation. Overall, the Password Manager demonstrates how modern web technologies and cryptography can work together to improve digital security while remaining accessible to non-technical users.

Conclusion

The project successfully demonstrates the development of a secure and efficient backend system using Python. By integrating Flask/FastAPI, SQLite/MySQL, and modern cryptographic techniques, the application ensures reliable data handling, user authentication, and protection of sensitive information. The system’s modular architecture, clean API design, and layered security approach make it both scalable and maintainable. The implementation of features such as password encryption, user management, database operations, and API-driven communication highlights the practicality and effectiveness of Python as a backend development language. Overall, the project meets its objectives in terms of security, performance, usability, and extensibility, thereby providing a strong foundation for real-world deployment.

References

[1] R. Kumar & S. Subramaniam (2023), Python Web Development Essentials, Packt Publishing. [2] Sebastián Ramírez (2023), FastAPI Official Documentation, available at: https://fastapi.tiangolo.com [3] Pallets Team (2023), Flask 2.x Documentation, available at: https://flask.palletsprojects.com [4] Django Software Foundation (2024), Django 5.0 Documentation,navailable at: https://docs.djangoproject.com [5] Python Software Foundation (2024), Python 3.12 Documentation, available at: https://docs.python.org/3/ [6] OWASP Foundation (2023), OWASP Top 10: Application Security Risks, available at: https://owasp.org [7] NIST (2022), Digital Identity Guidelines (SP 800-63B) – Password & Authentication Standards. [8] SQLite Consortium (2023), SQLite Latest Documentation, available at: https://sqlite.org/docs.html [9] GitHub, Inc. (2024), Git Version Control & CI/CD Documentation, available at: https://docs.github.com [10] Heroku Cloud (2023), Python App Deployment Guide, available at: https://devcenter.heroku.com

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Mahesh Kanjikar, Ashwini Yekkele, Divya Wale, Nandini Sharma, Nikita Wadikar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.