fast-file-encryption

Fast File Encryption

Fast File Encryption is a lightweight, robust, and developer-friendly solution for encrypting large files—ranging from a few megabytes to several terabytes—securely and efficiently.

Ideal for environments that require:

• Minimal runtime dependencies
• Strong asymmetric encryption using RSA
• High performance for both small and large files

Features

• Requires only Python ≥ 3.11 and the cryptography package
• Securely encrypts and decrypts files using RSA public/private key pairs
• Only the public key is needed on the server—no private key exposure
• Supports streaming and large file encryption (up to 10 TB and beyond)

Getting Started 🚀

New to the project? Start with our step-by-step Getting Started Guide. It walks you through installation, key generation, and your first file encryption.

▶️ Getting Started <https://erbsland-dev.github.io/fast-file-encryption/chapters/get-started.html>_

Documentation 📚

Explore the full documentation:

• In-depth reference for encryption and decryption classes
• Key management tools and utilities
• Technical details of the file format

▶️ Reference Manual <https://erbsland-dev.github.io/fast-file-encryption/chapters/reference/>_

▶️ File Format Specification <https://erbsland-dev.github.io/fast-file-encryption/format.html>_

Requirements

• Python ≥ 3.11
• cryptography package (based on OpenSSL)

Running the Tests

Install the dependencies from requirements.txt and execute pytest from the project root::

pip install -r requirements.txt
pytest

Project Goals

Fast File Encryption is built with the following principles:

• Archive Data — Designed to securely archive files.
• Secure by Default — No configurable options that weaken encryption.
• Large File Support — Optimized for files up to several terabytes.
• Metadata Block — Clean separation of encrypted metadata.
• No Key = No Access — Data remains safe even if a server is compromised.
• Corruption Detection — Built-in checksums detect silent corruption.

▶️ More about our design goals <https://erbsland-dev.github.io/fast-file-encryption/goals.html>_

Bug Reports & Feature Requests

Have feedback or ideas? Found a bug? We'd love to hear from you.

▶️ Submit an Issue <https://github.com/erbsland-dev/fast-file-encryption/issues>_

License

Copyright © 2021–2024 Tobias Erbsland – https://erbsland.dev/ EducateIT GmbH – https://educateit.ch/

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

You may obtain a copy of the license at:

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Distributed on an “AS IS” basis, without warranties or conditions of any kind. See the LICENSE file for details.