Create password for /etc/shadow

Sometimes you have to create a password-hash for the shadow-file. Here is an easy way to do it:

Method 1 (better suitable for scripting – passwort is visible)

openssl passwd -6 -salt xyz  yourpass

Method 2 (you enter in the PW – no clear text to see)

mkpasswd --method=SHA-512 --stdin

Note:
passing -1 will generate an MD5 password, -5 a SHA256 and -6 SHA512 (recommended)
The option --method accepts md5, sha-256 and sha-512

source: [stackexchange]