# Basic Authentication

Basic authentication is set in the **config.yaml** for HQ under the [http.users](https://docs.lenses.io/latest/deployment/hq#usercredential) key, as an array of **usernames** and **passwords**.

{% hint style="success" %}
Passwords need to bcrypt hashes.
{% endhint %}

This ensures that the passwords are hashed and secure rather than stored in plaintext. For instance, instead of using "builder" directly, it should be hashed using bcrypt.

An example of a bcrypt-hashed password looks like this:

`$2a$12$XQW..XQrtZXCvbQWertqQeFi/1KoQW4eNephNXTfHqtoW9Q4qih5G`.

Always ensure that you replace plaintext passwords with their bcrypt counterparts to securely authenticate users.

You can use the Lenses CLI to create a bcrypt password:

```sh
lenses utils hash-password
```

<pre class="language-yaml" data-title="config.yaml"><code class="lang-yaml"><strong>auth:
</strong>  users:
  - username: bob
    password: $2a$12$XQW..XQrtZXCvbQWertqQeFi/1KoQW4eNephNXTfHqtoW9Q4qih5G 
  - username: brain
    password: $2a$12$XQW..XQrtZXCvbQWertqQeFi/1KoQW4eNephNXTfHqtoW9Q4qih5G  
</code></pre>


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