File Encryptor CLI - Made with Rust

A secure, production-quality CLI tool for encrypting and decrypting files using modern cryptography (AES-256-GCM / ChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2id).

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing, ensure you have the following tools installed on your Windows machine:

1. Rust: Install Rust.
2. C++ Build Tools: Required for compiling some dependencies.
   • Download Visual Studio Build Tools.
   • During installation, select "Desktop development with C++".

Option 1: Run from Source (Dev)

If you have the source code, you can run it directly via Cargo:

# Run CLI commands
cargo run --release -- encrypt input.txt output.enc

# Run TUI mode
cargo run --release -- ui

Option 2: Install Globally (Recommended)

To use rust-file-encryptor from anywhere in your terminal:

1. Install via Cargo:

   cargo install --path .

   This will compile and move the binary to your Cargo bin folder (usually %USERPROFILE%\.cargo\bin), which should already be in your PATH.

2. Manual Installation:

   • Locate the built executable at: target\release\rust-file-encryptor.exe
   • Copy it to a folder in your PATH (e.g., C:\Windows\System32 or a custom bin folder).

📖 Usage

🖥️ Interactive TUI Mode (New!)

Launch the terminal user interface for a more visual experience.

rust-file-encryptor ui

Controls:

• Arrows / Tab: Navigate fields and tabs.
• Enter: Select files (in picker) or Submit forms.
• Esc: Go back or Cancel.
• Features: File picker, password masking, and easy switching between Encrypt/Decrypt modes.

Encrypt a File (CLI)

Encrypts a file using a password. If the password is not provided via flag, you will be securely prompted.

rust-file-encryptor encrypt <INPUT_FILE> <OUTPUT_FILE> [FLAGS]

Flags:

• -p, --password <PASSWORD>: Provide password directly (less secure in history).
• -a, --algorithm <ALGO>: Choose encryption algorithm.
  • aes256-gcm (Default) - Hardware accelerated, very fast.
  • chacha20-poly1305 - fast in software, safe against timing attacks.
• --overwrite: Overwrite the output file if it exists.

Examples:

# Interactive password prompt (Recommended)
rust-file-encryptor encrypt secret.doc secret.enc

# Using ChaCha20-Poly1305
rust-file-encryptor encrypt image.png image.enc --algorithm chacha20-poly1305

# Force overwrite
rust-file-encryptor encrypt data.csv data.enc --overwrite

Decrypt a File (CLI)

Decrypts a file back to its original form.

rust-file-encryptor decrypt <INPUT_FILE> <OUTPUT_FILE> [FLAGS]

Examples:

# Interactive password prompt
rust-file-encryptor decrypt secret.enc secret_restored.doc

# Provide password (useful for scripts)
rust-file-encryptor decrypt backup.enc backup.tar.gz --password "MySecretPass"

🔒 Security Details

• Encryption: Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD).
  • AES-256-GCM (96-bit nonce, 128-bit tag)
  • ChaCha20-Poly1305 (96-bit nonce, 128-bit tag)
• Key Derivation: Argon2id
  • Resists GPU/ASIC brute-force attacks.
  • Uses a unique random 32-byte salt for every file.
• Randomness: Uses OsRng (cryptographically secure system RNG) for salts and nonces.
• Memory Safety: Passwords are zeroed out from memory after use.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This tool is provided as-is. While it uses standard, well-audited cryptographic primitives, always ensure you have backups of your important data.