age is a security-oriented tool and library by Filo Sottile. age is a simple, modern, secure encryption utility (and Go library) that emphasizes minimal configuration and strong defaults. It provides small explicit keys, no complex options, and is designed for UNIX-style composability; you can pipe into it, integrate it into scripts, etc. It supports a clearly defined format and promotes interoperability across implementations (there are Rust, TypeScript, etc). The project is well-suited for personal data encryption, backup use-cases, scripting encryption workflows, and embedding encryption in tools. Because of its design philosophy, it avoids the bloat of many older encryption utilities while maintaining strong cryptographic hygiene. It’s especially useful for developers or system administrators who want to adopt encryption without learning a multitude of options.
Features
- Minimal-config file encryption tool and Go library
- Explicit small key format for easier handling and sharing
- UNIX-style composability (pipe streams, integrate into scripts)
- Clear specification for format and multiple implementations
- Cross-platform binaries and library support
- Strong cryptographic defaults and simplicity of use