How to Install Pass in Linux

Debian based systems, use apt-get or apt package manager to install pass.

$ sudo apt-get install pass

How to generate GPG key pair

Make sure you have your own GPG key pair. If no, create a GPG key pair by running following command on terminal and follow the instructions.

$ gpg --gen-key

The above command will ask a series of questions to create a GPG key pair, so input the required details carefully and few question you can leave default answer which is enough.

Initiate the password store

If you got a GPG key pair then initialize the local password store by running the following command, you can pass either email-id or gpg-id.

$ pass init tcb
mkdir: created directory '/home/magi/.password-store/'
Password store initialized for tcb

The above command will create a password store under ~/.password-store directory.

pass command is offering simple syntax to manage password. Let’s see one by one like adding, editing, generating, and retrieving passwords.

Insert a new password info

$ pass insert tcb/email
mkdir: created directory '/home/tcb/.password-store/tcb'
Enter password for tcb/email: 
Retype password for tcb/email:

We can list all the existing passwords in the store.

$ pass show
Password Store
├── 2g
├── Bank
├── tcb
│   ├── email
│   └── email2
├── eMail
├── Social
│   ├── Facebook_2daygeek
│   └── Gplus_2daygeek
├── Social

Using the password store

Show passwords

$ zx2c4@laptop ~ $ pass Email/zx2c4.com
sup3rh4x3rizmynam3

dd existing passwords to the store with insert:

$ zx2c4@laptop ~ $ pass insert Business/cheese-whiz-factory
Enter password for Business/cheese-whiz-factory: omg so much cheese what am i gonna do

This also handles multiline passwords or other data with --multiline or -m, and passwords can be edited in your default text editor using pass edit pass-name.

he utility can generate new passwords using /dev/urandom internally:

$ zx2c4@laptop ~ $ pass generate Email/jasondonenfeld.com 15
The generated password to Email/jasondonenfeld.com is:
$(-QF&Q=IN2nFBx

It’s possible to generate passwords with no symbols using --no-symbols or -n

And of course, passwords can be removed:

$ zx2c4@laptop ~ $ pass rm Business/cheese-whiz-factory
rm: remove regular file ‘/home/zx2c4/.password-store/Business/cheese-whiz-factory.gpg’? y
removed ‘/home/zx2c4/.password-store/Business/cheese-whiz-factory.gpg’