Argon2id is a strong default for a new password-storage system because it makes each password guess costly in both computation and memory. That cost affects legitimate logins, but it also applies to every offline guess an attacker makes after stealing a password database. The right choice still depends on your platform, expected login load, compatibility needs, and compliance requirements; “faster” alone is not a useful measure of security.
What “faster” means for password hashing
A password verifier needs to check a submitted password against a stored value. With a fast general-purpose hash such as SHA-256 used alone, that check is inexpensive—and an attacker with a stolen database can also test guesses quickly, one after another. Password-storage functions instead let a service deliberately raise the cost of each verification.
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Argon2id is a memory-hard password-hashing function: its cost can be tuned in memory, time, and parallelism. Raising those costs can make offline guessing more expensive, but it also consumes resources during ordinary authentication. A useful comparison must therefore distinguish the verifier’s time on a particular machine and configuration from an attacker’s cost per guess. There is no meaningful universal speed ranking without those details.
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Why Argon2id is a defensible default
OWASP recommends Argon2id, describing it as a balance of resistance to side-channel and GPU-based attacks. Its adjustable memory, time, and parallelism costs let an implementation set a deliberate verification expense rather than relying on a fast hash whose low cost benefits attackers too.
The specification has a broader scope than password storage alone. RFC 9106, published in September 2021, defines Argon2 as a memory-hard function for password hashing and proof-of-work applications. Its recommendations are distinct from OWASP’s operational password-storage guidance; use the profile appropriate to your requirements rather than treating every published parameter set as one universal default. See the RFC 9106 specification.
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Choose parameters for the system that will verify logins
OWASP’s current minimum Argon2id configuration is 19 MiB of memory, two iterations, and parallelism one. This is guidance, not a benchmark result or a guarantee that the setting fits every service. OWASP also advises tuning costs for the target environment and benchmarking expected load.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsMore work per verification can increase resistance to guessing, but it also raises authentication latency and memory demand. A setting that works for one login at a time may behave differently when many users authenticate concurrently. Evaluate the chosen configuration on the actual target system against its login-latency target, memory budget, and expected concurrent verification load. The cited guidance does not establish timings for any particular machine, so there is no supported universal claim that Argon2id is faster or slower than another option.
When another password-hashing function may fit better
Argon2id is not the only defensible choice. OWASP identifies alternatives for specific constraints; their settings and caveats should be considered in context rather than collapsed into a simple speed contest.
| Option | When it may fit | Relevant caveat or OWASP guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Argon2id | New password-storage systems seeking OWASP’s recommended choice. | Memory use and verification latency affect service capacity; tune and benchmark locally. OWASP minimum: 19 MiB, two iterations, parallelism one. |
| scrypt | When Argon2id is unavailable. | Its CPU and memory cost, block size, and parallelization are configurable. |
| bcrypt | Legacy systems where migration or support constraints make replacement impractical. | OWASP specifies work factor 10 or more and notes a 72-byte password limit. |
| PBKDF2 | When FIPS-140 compliance is required and this choice meets the deployment’s applicable requirements. | OWASP specifies HMAC-SHA-256 with work factor 600,000 or more for this scenario. This guidance does not certify a particular product or module. |
| Fast general-purpose hash, such as SHA-256 alone | Not appropriate as a password-storage function. | Its speed allows many guesses; use an adaptive password-hashing function with appropriate costs instead. |
What to check before adopting Argon2id
- Library and platform support: confirm a maintained implementation is available for your deployment environment and can encode and verify the parameters you intend to use.
- Login capacity: assess memory use and latency under expected simultaneous verifications, not just a single login.
- Password handling: enforce an appropriate password-length policy. If retaining bcrypt, account for its 72-byte limit.
- Compliance: verify the requirements that apply to your deployment. OWASP’s PBKDF2 recommendation for a stated FIPS-140 scenario is not proof that a specific implementation or module is certified.
- Operational settings: document the selected parameters and benchmark them on the target system before relying on them at production load.
The practical decision
For a new system with suitable library support and a service budget that can accommodate memory-intensive verification, Argon2id is a well-supported choice. Use measured, workload-appropriate parameters rather than chasing the lowest verifier latency. Keep scrypt in view when Argon2id is unavailable, retain bcrypt only where legacy constraints justify it, and consider PBKDF2 for the relevant FIPS-140 requirements. A faster check is not automatically a better password-storage design.
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