node-cipher

node-cipher

Encrypt or decrypt sensitive files to allow use in public source control. Node-cipher has a much more defined command line interface, as well as a public API for use directly within Node JS apps. Find on NPM

Example

Let's say we have a file called config.json which has some sensitive data in it, like private keys and shit. What happens if we need to transfer these configs between team members, but don't want the data within the file to be public within source control? We could send out a mass email with the new config file every time someone makes a change, or we can encrypt the file and add its encrypted counterpart to source control which can later be decrypted on each developer's machine.

Here's our hypothetical config.json file.

{
  "SECRET": "s3cr3tc0de"
}

We want to remove this file from source control, so that the raw version of the file is not viewable. Instead we want to use the encrypted version of the file. Just add config.json to your .gitignore.

echo config.json >> .gitignore

We can create shorthand npm scripts to encrypt and decrypt this file for ease of use. In our package.json, we add:

{
  ...
  "scripts": {
    "encrypt": "nodecipher encrypt -i config.json -o config.json.cast5",
    "decrypt": "nodecipher decrypt -i config.json.cast5 -o config.json"
  }
}

When run, the encrypt script will encrypt the config.json file into config.json.cast5 which we can then check into source control. The decrypt script will reverse this process. Let's encrypt the file:

npm run encrypt

Before the file is encrypted, we will first be asked to supply an encryption key that will be used to encrypt the file. This is the only secret item you must share between your team:

? Enter an encryption key: ***********

If the key is correct, the file will be successfully encrypted, and other team members can pull down your changes and decrypt the new config file using npm run decrypt.

Install

npm install -g node-cipher

Usage

Usage: nodecipher <command> {options}


Commands:

  encrypt  Encrypt a given input file.
  decrypt  Decrypt a given input file.
  list     List all available cipher options.

Options:

      --input, -i  The input filename relative to the current working directory. (Required)

     --output, -o  The output filename relative to the current working directory. (Required)

   --password, -p  The key that you will use to encrypt or decrypt your file. If this is not
                   supplied directly, you will instead be prompted within your command line.
                   If you are decrypting a file, the encryption key must be the same as the
                   one specified during encryption. (Optional)

  --algorithm, -a  The cipher algorithm that you will use to encrypt or decrypt your file. If
                   you are decrypting a file, the encryption method must be the same as the
                   one specified during encryption. (Optional; Default: cast5-cbc)

        -help, -h  Show the help menu.

Algorithms

By default, the encryption algorithm is set to cast5-cbc, you can instead specify an encryption algorithm by using the -a flag. Use nodecipher list to see a list of available cipher algorithms.

Node JS API

Encryption schema:

var encrypt = require('node-cipher').encrypt;

// Returns a Promise.
encrypt(options[, callback]);

Decryption schema:

var decrypt = require('node-cipher').decrypt;

// Returns a Promise.
decrypt(options[, callback]);

List all available cipher algorithms:

var nodecipher = require('node-cipher');

// Returns an array.
nodecipher.list();

Encrypt/Decrypt Options

Name	Type	Description	Optional
input	string	The path to the input file relative to the current working directory.	No
output	string	The path to the output file relative to the current working directory.	No
password	string	The encryption password.	No
algorithm	string	The encryption algorithm. Default: cast5-cbc	Yes

Example Usage

1. Encrypt config.json into config.json.cast5 using the key bosco and the default cipher algorithm (cast5).

   $ nodecipher encrypt -i config.json -o config.json.cast5 -p bosco
   

2. Decrypt config.json.cast5 back into config.json using the key bosco and the default cipher algorithm (cast5).

   $ nodecipher decrypt -i config.json.cast5 -o config.json -p bosco
   

3. Encrypt classified.js into classified.encrypted.js using the aes-128-cbc cipher algorithm and the password prompt.

   $ nodecipher encrypt -i classified.js -o classified.encrypted.js -a aes-128-cbc
   
     ? Enter an encryption key: ********
   

4. Decrypt the .env.cast5 file on Heroku before running the application using the CONFIG_KEY environment variable.

   // Procfile
   
   web: nodecipher decrypt -i .env.cast5 -o .env -p $CONFIG_KEY; npm start;
   

Authors

• Nathan Buchar

License

MIT