Hide passwords in oracle shell scripts

Oracle Database Tips by Donald BurlesonFebruary 20, 2015

Question: How do I hide the passwords in an Oracle shell script?

Answer: There are several methods for hiding or suppressing the SQL*Plus and other command line utilities passwords (SQL*Loader, RMAN, Data Pump). The most obvious way to mask the Oracle command line password is to not specify it from the command line:

root> sqlplus /nolog
SQL> connect scott/tiger

But for batch jobs, you must have the passwords in a file somewhere. One common method is to hide the password into a protected flat file with 700 permissions:

echo mysecretpassword > /tmp/mypass
chomd 700 /tmp/mypass
cat /tmp/mypass | sqlplus -s $USER << eoj >> $LOGFILE 2>&1

Although it is more cumbersome, you can also hide passwords for Oracle shell scripts using oracle wallet or an OS authentication method. For more details on hiding shell script passwords, see the book Oracle Shell Scripting.

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