chafe 1.0.0a4

Encrypts and decrypts files using a pass phrase.

This Python package provides tools for encrypting and decrypting files with Dan Bernstein’s ChaCha20 stream cipher, using a key derived from a pass phrase. Currently the package uses the ChaCha20Poly1305 class defined in the pypi package cryptography, which will be installed as a dependency

Warning

This is a work in progress, published here for testing only. Do not use it for anything important. The file protocols are subject to change, which could leave you with encrypted files that you cannot decrypt.

Installation

Install this package with pip:

python3 -m pip install --pre chafe

The pypi package name is “chafe”. The python module installed with this command is named “chacha”. The –pre option is needed because the current version of this package is a pre-release.

Usage

The package provides two entry points named encrypt and decrypt. That means that if this module is in your Python path then the module can be used as follows:

To encrypt a file named myfile:

% python3 -m chacha.encrypt myfile

You will be prompted for a password, and an encrypted file named myfile.cha will be created. The password will be visible until the encryption is finished, then erased. (So write it down first!)

To decrypt myfile.cha:

% python3 -m chacha.decrypt myfile.cha

You will be prompted for the password, and a decrypted file named myfile will be created. The password will be visible until the decryption is finished, then erased.

If you install this module with pip then the commands will simply be:

% chacha-encrypt myfile

and

% chacha-decrypt myfile.cha