FileCrypter

FileCrypter is a cross-platform file encryption app for encrypting and decrypting files. The UI is built with Vue 3 and the cryptographic operations live in a Rust/Tauri backend.

Current development and release workflows are desktop-first (macOS, Windows). Mobile support (iOS/Android) is a future goal.

End-User Guide

See README_USER.md for end-user instructions (how to encrypt/decrypt, batch mode, troubleshooting).

Features

• Password-based encryption using AES-256-GCM.
• Argon2id key derivation with per-file salt.
• Streaming (chunked) encryption/decryption for all files (default 1MB chunks).
• Optional ZSTD compression (reduces file size by ~70% for text/documents).
• Batch encrypt/decrypt with progress updates (compression enabled by default).
• Native file dialogs via Tauri.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: Vue 3 + TypeScript + Vite
• Backend: Rust + Tauri v2
• Package manager: Bun (frontend), Cargo (backend)

Project Structure

• src/ frontend app (entry: src/main.ts, root: src/App.vue)
• src/components/ UI tabs and panels
• src/composables/ shared frontend logic
• src/utils/, src/constants.ts, and src/shared.css provide shared helpers, constants, and global styles
• src/types/ TypeScript types
• src-tauri/ Rust/Tauri backend (commands + crypto modules)
• src-tauri/src/security/ security helpers, plus shared error/event types in src-tauri/src/error.rs and src-tauri/src/events.rs

Getting Started

Prerequisites:

• Bun installed for frontend tooling
• Rust toolchain for the Tauri backend

Install dependencies:

bun install

Run the frontend in the browser:

bun run dev

Run the full app locally (desktop workflow):

bun run tauri:dev

Build:

bun run build
bun run tauri:build

Preview the production frontend build in a browser:

bun run preview

Platform note:

• bun run tauri:build builds bundles for the host OS only (Windows builds on Windows, macOS builds on macOS).
• Cross-building for other OSes typically requires building on that OS with its toolchain/SDK.
• Mobile targets are not currently part of the active development/release workflow.

Installation

macOS (Unsigned Builds)

Pre-built releases are not notarized with Apple. macOS will block the app from opening by default. To allow it, run this command in Terminal after downloading:

xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/FileCrypter.app

Adjust the path if you installed the app elsewhere.

Testing & Linting

Run Rust tests (unit + integration):

cd src-tauri
cargo test

Run the Rust linter:

cd src-tauri
cargo clippy

Run the frontend linter:

bun run lint

Security Notes

• Encryption uses AES-256-GCM with Argon2id key derivation.
• Each encryption generates a unique salt and base nonce; per-chunk nonces are derived with BLAKE3 and the chunk index.
• File I/O is handled in Rust; the frontend only invokes commands.
• All file operations use streaming (chunked) encryption/decryption with atomic writes (temp file + rename).
• Compression uses compress-then-encrypt strategy (industry standard used by SSH, TLS).
• Batch operations validate max file count (1000) and continue on per-file failures.

File Format

FileCrypter uses two file format versions:

• Version 4: Standard encrypted format (no compression)
• Version 5: Encrypted format with ZSTD compression metadata

Version 5 extends Version 4 with compression fields in the header. Both versions are fully supported for decryption, ensuring backward compatibility.

Contributing

See AGENTS.md for repository guidelines and contribution practices.