04/14/2008 Utilities

Today you need to remember many passwords. You need a password for the Windows network logon, your e-mail account, your homepage's ftp password, online passwords (like CodeProject member account), etc. etc. etc. The list is endless. Also, you should use different passwords for each account. Because if you use only one password everywhere and someone gets this password you have a problem... A serious problem. The thief would have access to your e-mail account, homepage, etc. Unimaginable.

KeePass 1.0 vs KeePass 2.0

KeePass is a free/open-source password manager or safe which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key-disk. So you only have to remember one single master password or insert the key-disk to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish).



KeePass currently is available in two different editions: 1.x and 2.x. They are fundamentally different (2.x is not based on 1.x). They mainly differ in portability and functionality:

- KeePass 1.x: Runs on all Windows systems without any prerequisites. Does not need to be installed; is portable. Fewer features than 2.x.

- KeePass 2.x: Runs on all Windows systems with Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or higher installed. Does not need to be installed itself; is portable.

Project	KeePass 1.x	KeePass 2.x
License	Open-Source software (GPL)	Open-Source software (GPL)
Cost	Free	Free
Installation / Portability
Supported Operating Systems	Windows 98, 98SE, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, Wine	Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista
Prerequisites	None	Microsoft .NET Framework ≥ 2.0
Runs Without Installation
Runs From USB Stick
Database Features
Encryption Algorithms	Rijndael, Twofish	Rijndael
Password Hash	SHA-256	SHA-256
Compression	None	None / GZip
Inner Format	Binary	XML
Key Sources
Master Password
Key Files
Windows User Account
Security Features
In-Memory Password Protection	(only forpasswords)	(for all fields)
Security-Enhanced Edit Controls
Entries
Fixed Fields (Title, User Name, Password, URL, Notes)
Custom String Fields
File Attachments	(1 per entry)	(multiple per entry)
Entry History
Import External Icons
Integration
Copy To Clipboard
Drag & Drop
Auto-Type
KeePass Browser Toolbar Support
Search
Search Password Entries
Grouped Results
Sort Search Results
Data Exchange
Export To	TXT, HTML, XML, CSV, KDB3	XML, HTML, KDB3, XSL-Transformed
Import From	CSV, CodeWallet(Pro) TXT, Password Safe TXT, KDB3	More than 20 formats
	Please note that for both 1.x and 2.x many other formats are supported through import/export plugins.
Synchronization
Print Password List	(tabular only)	(tabular and detailed mode)
Extensibility
Plugin Architecture