Getting Started
Welcome! Let’s begin encrypting files with confidence.
This quickstart guide will walk you through the essentials: installation, key generation, and file encryption/decryption— all in just a few steps.
Before you begin, make sure you have:
A working Python 3.11+ environment set up
A terminal or your preferred development tools
While this guide uses command-line examples, you’re welcome to follow along in any environment you’re comfortable with.
Installation
We recommend creating a virtual environment to keep dependencies isolated:
$ python -m venv venv
$ source venv/bin/activate
Next, install Fast File Encryption from PyPI:
$ pip install fast_file_encryption
Generate a Key Pair
To encrypt and decrypt files, you’ll first need a key pair.
By default, the generated private key is not password-protected, as the tool is designed for automated environments. If your use case requires additional security, you may generate or wrap your keys using other tools (e.g. openssl).
Start a Python shell:
$ python3
>>> █
Now generate and store your key pair:
>>> import fast_file_encryption as ffe
>>> from pathlib import Path
>>> ffe.save_key_pair(public_key=Path('public.pem'), private_key=Path('private.pem'))
Encrypt a File
To encrypt a file:
>>> original_file = Path('original_file.txt')
>>> original_file.write_text('Hello world!')
>>> encryptor = ffe.Encryptor(ffe.read_public_key(Path('public.pem')))
>>> encrypted_file = Path('encrypted_file.ffe')
>>> encryptor.copy_encrypted(
... original_file,
... encrypted_file,
... meta={'my-meta': 1},
... add_source_metadata=True
... )
Decrypt a File
To decrypt the file and inspect the metadata:
>>> decryptor = ffe.Decryptor(ffe.read_private_key(Path('private.pem')))
>>> decryptor.load_decrypted(encrypted_file)
b'Hello world!'
>>> decryptor.read_metadata(encrypted_file)
{'my-meta': 1, 'file_path': '.../original_file.txt', ...}
All Set!
🎉 You’ve successfully encrypted and decrypted your first file.
Next steps: Explore the reference documentation for detailed APIs, or review the file format if you’re integrating with other systems.