PHP password_hash error

Question

I have been trying to understand password salting and hashing for a project I am working on. From the responses to a previous question I saw the php manual for password_hash as a good way to start.

However, when trying out the code on that page, I get an error that I haven't been able to resolve.
Code:

<?php
/**
 * Note that the salt here is randomly generated.
 * Never use a static salt or one that is not randomly generated.
 *
 * For the VAST majority of use-cases, let password_hash generate the salt randomly for you
 */
$options = [
'cost' => 11,
'salt' => mcrypt_create_iv(22, MCRYPT_DEV_URANDOM),
];
echo password_hash("rasmuslerdorf", PASSWORD_BCRYPT, $options)."\n";
?>

Error:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '[' in /home/content/##/######/html/TESTINGFOLDER/HashNSalt.php on line 8

According to the manual -

The above example will output:
$2y$11$q5MkhSBtlsJcNEVsYh64a.aCluzHnGog7TQAKVmQwO9C8xb.t89F.

Line 8 is

 $options = [

Can someone here explain why I am getting this error - especially since I have copied and pasted this into my test page from the PHP Manual itself? I am still in the early stages of learning authentication/ php etc and depend on the manual, stackexchange/overflow to understand why things don't work the way they should. I am totally stumped when code I find in the manual doesn't work the way it should!

bobince · Accepted Answer · 2013-07-31 11:18:04Z

3

Not a security issue, just a syntax one.

The short array syntax:

$options = [ ... ];

is a PHP 5.4 feature... previously you had to say array( ... ).

You probably don't have 5.4 installed. As password_hash is a PHP 5.5 feature you'll need to update your PHP version.

answered Jul 31, 2013 at 11:18

bobince

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2 Comments

Maerlyn Over a year ago

Note that there's a compatibility lib for php 5.3.7 and above, called password_compat.

vinaya Over a year ago

Sorry! I had multiple tabs open with SO and SE and put the quetion in SE by mistake!

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