EncFS

EncFS
Developer(s)Valient Gough
Stable release
1.9.5 / April 27, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-04-27)[1]
Repository
Operating systemLinux, FreeBSD, macOS,[2] Windows ("encfs4win" port)[3] (also Safe, an alternative macOS, Windows port) and Android apps
Typefilesystem, encryption
LicenseLGPL
WebsiteEncFS home

EncFS is a Free (LGPL) FUSE-based cryptographic filesystem. It transparently encrypts files, using an arbitrary directory as storage for the encrypted files.[4][5]

Two directories are involved in mounting an EncFS filesystem: the source directory, and the mountpoint. Each file in the mountpoint has a specific file in the source directory that corresponds to it. The file in the mountpoint provides the unencrypted view of the one in the source directory. Filenames are encrypted in the source directory.

Files are encrypted using a volume key, which is stored either within or outside the encrypted source directory.[6] A password is used to decrypt this key.

EncFS has been declared dormant with no further updates by Valient Gough, the developer, on its Github page in May 2024.

  1. ^ "Releases - vgough/encfs". Retrieved 11 June 2018 – via GitHub.
  2. ^ "Valient Gough". Valient Gough. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  3. ^ "encfs4win - an experimental project of porting encfs to the Windows world". Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  4. ^ Falko, Timme (2017-01-14). "How to Encrypt your Data with EncFS on Debian 8 (Jessie)". The Linux Foundation. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  5. ^ Falko, Timme (2016-05-06). "Encrypt your Data with EncFS on Ubuntu 16.04". The Linux Foundation. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  6. ^ Gough, Valient (2016-12-26). "ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES". GitHub. Retrieved 2017-05-07.