gocryptfs
An encrypted overlay filesystem for Linux that encrypts each file individually, so cloud sync and backups only move what changed.
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1 more ways to get gocryptfs
Package managers
- Homebrew
brew install gocryptfs
About gocryptfs
gocryptfs encrypts files and filenames individually rather than as one large container, which is what makes it work well with cloud storage and incremental backups: changing one document uploads one file, not a whole encrypted volume.
It was inspired by EncFS and set out to fix its security problems while keeping good performance, and its security design is documented separately. It reached 1.0 in 2016 after extensive stress and correctness testing, and was independently audited in March 2017.
Linux is the native platform. macOS support is described by the project as beta quality: most things work but you may hit occasional problems. For Windows there is the independent cppcryptfs reimplementation.
The project advises keeping a copy of the master key printed at initialisation somewhere safe, so you can reach your data if the config file is damaged or the password is lost.
Strengths
- Per-file encryption, so cloud sync and incremental backups only transfer what changed
- Independently audited in March 2017 with a published security design document
- Release tags are signed, and the master key can be saved for recovery
- Compatible with cppcryptfs on Windows
Limitations
- macOS support is described by the project as beta quality
- No native Windows support; that is a separate reimplementation
- Directory structure and file sizes remain visible in the encrypted folder
- Requires FUSE, which is restricted in some environments
Details
- Pricing
- Free · Free and open source under the MIT licence.
- License
- MIT
- Developer
- rfjakob
- Platforms
- macOS, Linux, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Encrypting a folder on Linux that gets synced to cloud storage or backed up
- Categories
- Encryption tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Security); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 3 sources on file.