SOAR-Locker

Secure Obfuscated Archives Repository is a Python source-code protection and device-bound execution utility for controlled deployment environments.

SOAR-Locker converts Python source files into encrypted .soa archives. At execution time, the archive is validated against a device fingerprint and decrypted in memory through a native Rust core. The project is designed for scenarios in which Python applications must be deployed to a target machine while reducing direct source-code exposure and limiting unauthorized migration to other devices.

SOAR-Locker is an engineering protection mechanism, not a substitute for formal software licensing, hardware-backed key management, or high-assurance anti-reverse-engineering systems.

Features

• Encrypted archive format: converts .py files into binary .soa archives.
• Device-bound execution: archives are associated with the fingerprint of the machine on which they are generated.
• Runtime validation: execution requires a matching runtime environment and device fingerprint.
• In-memory decryption: decrypted source is not written back to disk during normal execution.
• Dual archive modes: .soa is the high-security execution format; .sar is the convenience format for importable protected modules.
• Module import support: .sar modules can be imported by normal Python after enabling the SOAR loader. .soa modules can import .soa, .sar, and .py modules only while running through the SOAR execution chain.
• Automatic source backup: original .py files are copied to bak/ during encryption.
• Cross-platform distribution: the Python package is pure Python, while the native Rust core is distributed as platform-specific wheels.

Supported Platforms

The Python package soar-locker supports CPython 3.8 through 3.13.

The native package soar-core is distributed through PyPI as prebuilt wheels. Current supported targets are:

• Windows amd64
• Linux x86_64
• Linux aarch64

During normal execution, SOAR-Locker detects the current operating system and architecture. If the native core is missing or incompatible, it installs the matching soar-core wheel before continuing.

Installation

python -m pip install soar-locker

Manual repair is also available for diagnostics and offline wheelhouse workflows:

soar --repair-core

Inspect the runtime and core status:

soar --version

Example:

SOAR-Locker version 2.0.1
runtime target: Linux / x86_64
soar_core: installed (1.5.0, compatible)

Usage

Encrypt a single Python file in the default high-security mode:

soar script.py

This generates:

• script.soa
• bak/script.py

Create a convenience archive instead:

soar --sar script.py

This generates script.sar. Convenience archives are intended for cases where a normal Python entry point must import an obfuscated module:

from soar import enable_loader

enable_loader()

import script

Encrypt a directory recursively:

soar ./project

Use convenience mode for a directory:

soar --mode convenience ./project

Run a protected archive:

soar program.soa

Security-mode archives are intentionally not importable from a normal Python program. A .soa archive can be run by soar, and code already running inside the SOAR execution chain can import other .soa, .sar, and .py modules. Normal Python code should use .sar when module-style imports are required.

Hide the warning banner for later commands:

soar --ignore-waring

The correctly spelled alias is also accepted:

soar --ignore-warning

Show the warning banner once without changing the saved preference:

soar --show-waring

Restore the default behavior:

soar --reset-waring

On Linux, if the original script uses an executable shebang workflow, the resulting archive can be executed after setting executable permissions:

chmod +x program.soa
./program.soa

Distribution Architecture

SOAR-Locker is split into two packages:

• soar-locker: pure Python command-line interface, archive loader, packaging logic, and runtime coordination.
• soar-core: native Rust extension that provides the core fingerprint verification and decryption primitives.

The Rust component is intentionally distributed separately because native extension modules are specific to operating system and CPU architecture. PyPI selects the correct wheel automatically from the published wheel tags.

Security Scope

SOAR-Locker is intended to raise the operational cost of casual source-code inspection and unauthorized redeployment in fixed-machine delivery contexts. It is suitable for internal tools, robotics deployments, embedded Linux systems, and controlled engineering environments.

It is not designed to provide formal resistance against determined reverse engineering, privileged attackers, memory inspection, or adversaries with full control over the runtime environment. Sensitive commercial or regulated deployments should combine SOAR-Locker with additional controls such as licensing infrastructure, hardware-backed secrets, access control, monitoring, and contractual safeguards.

Version

Current release:

soar-locker 2.0.1
soar-core   1.5.0