How to read password with echo "*" in Python console program?

Question

I'm writing a console program with Python under Windows.
The user need to login to use the program, when he input his password, I'd like they to be echoed as "*", while I can get what the user input.
I found in the standard library a module called getpass, but it will not echo anything when you input(linux like).
Thanks.

Answer 1

The getpass module is written in Python. You could easily modify it to do this. In fact, here is a modified version of getpass.win_getpass() that you could just paste into your code:

import sys

def win_getpass(prompt='Password: ', stream=None):
    """Prompt for password with echo off, using Windows getch()."""
    import msvcrt
    for c in prompt:
        msvcrt.putch(c)
    pw = ""
    while 1:
        c = msvcrt.getch()
        if c == '\r' or c == '\n':
            break
        if c == '\003':
            raise KeyboardInterrupt
        if c == '\b':
            pw = pw[:-1]
            msvcrt.putch('\b')
        else:
            pw = pw + c
            msvcrt.putch("*")
    msvcrt.putch('\r')
    msvcrt.putch('\n')
    return pw

You might want to reconsider this, however. The Linux way is better; even just knowing the number of characters in a password is a significant hint to someone who wants to crack it.

Answer 2

kindall's answer is close, but it has issues with backspace not erasing the asterisks, as well as backspace being able to go back beyond the input prompt.

Try:

def win_getpass(prompt='Password: ', stream=None):
    """Prompt for password with echo off, using Windows getch()."""
    if sys.stdin is not sys.__stdin__:
        return fallback_getpass(prompt, stream)
    import msvcrt
    for c in prompt:
        msvcrt.putwch(c)
    pw = ""
    while 1:
        c = msvcrt.getwch()
        if c == '\r' or c == '\n':
            break
        if c == '\003':
            raise KeyboardInterrupt
        if c == '\b':
            if pw == '':
                pass
            else:
                pw = pw[:-1]
                msvcrt.putwch('\b')
                msvcrt.putwch(" ")
                msvcrt.putwch('\b')
        else:
            pw = pw + c
            msvcrt.putwch("*")
    msvcrt.putwch('\r')
    msvcrt.putwch('\n')
    return pw

Note mscvrt.putwch does not work with python 2.x, you need to use mscvrt.putch instead.