Alternatives to fscrypt

A command-line tool, written in Go, for managing native Linux filesystem encryption on ext4 and F2FS. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as fscrypt.

  • gocryptfs

    An encrypted overlay filesystem for Linux that encrypts each file individually, so cloud sync and backups only move what changed.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    gocryptfs encrypts a folder through a FUSE overlay on any filesystem rather than native ext4 or F2FS encryption, and also runs on macOS in beta.

  • cryptsetup and LUKS

    The standard Linux full-disk encryption layer.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    cryptsetup and LUKS encrypt whole disks or volumes rather than individual directories, and are the standard full-disk encryption layer across Linux distributions.

  • CryFS

    An encrypted filesystem that protects files stored in cloud storage, including their metadata and folder structure.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    CryFS encrypts a folder through its own filesystem and hides metadata and folder structure, working on macOS and Linux and suited to cloud sync folders.

  • securefs

    Mounts an encrypted directory as a normal filesystem.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    securefs mounts an encrypted directory on Linux, macOS or Windows without needing native filesystem encryption, but it requires FUSE or WinFsp.

  • Tomb

    A minimalist Linux command-line tool that creates and manages encrypted LUKS volumes called tombs.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    Tomb creates LUKS-based encrypted container volumes with separate key files instead of encrypting existing directories, and remains Linux and command line only.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.