This repository contains the open source version of the AWS Encryption SDK Developer Guide. We welcome your contributions! Please start by reading the Contributions page in this repo.
We welcome all contributions, including help with conceptual explanations and diagrams. But because examples are the heart of every Developer Guide, we want more of them, especially real-world examples that show common use patterns.
The AWS Encryption SDK is a
client-side
encryption library that makes it easier for you to encrypt and decrypt data securely in your
application. It can be used on any type of data. The encrypt
method returns a single, portable formatted message that is easy to store and manage.
The AWS Encryption SDK is available in Java, Python, C, JavaScript, and a command-line interface that runs on Linux, macOS and Windows.
To protect data, the Encryption SDK uses envelope encryption. Each item of data is encrypted under a unique data key. Then, the data key is encrypted under a master key so it can be safely stored with the data. Your application does not have to generate or manage the data keys.
To protect the master key that encrypts the data keys, you can use a web service, such as AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS), a hardware security module (HSM), such as those offered by AWS CloudHSM, or your existing key management tools. The AWS Encryption SDK does not require an AWS account or any AWS service.
The AWS Encryption SDK Developer Guide provides a conceptual overview of the AWS Encryption SDK, including an introduction to its architecture, an explanation of how it protects data, a reference section of cryptographic details, and examples in each programming language to help you get started.
We are developing the AWS Encryption SDK in the following open source projects on GitHub.
- C - aws-encryption-sdk-c
- Java - aws-encryption-sdk-java
- JavaScript - aws-encryption-sdk-javascript
- Python - aws-encryption-sdk-python
- Command-line interface - aws-encryption-sdk-cli
Any developer who needs to protect sensitive data at its source. The developers who use this library don't need any cryptographic expertise. The library is designed for general use and includes strong and secure default implementations. If anyone needs a custom design, the libraries provide extension points for custom implementations.
The documentation is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. See the LICENSE file.
The sample code within this documentation is made available under a modified MIT license. See the LICENSE-SAMPLECODE file.