A Node.js/TypeScript implementation of Keybase's Saltpack encrypted/signed messaging format.
node-saltpack implements version 2.0 of Saltpack. All message types (encryption, attached signing, detached signing and signcryption) are supported.
node-saltpack is published to the npm registry and GitHub Package Registry. TypeScript definitions are included.
npm install @samuelthomas2774/saltpack
By default npm will install from https://npmjs.com. You can configure npm to install node-saltpack from GitHub Package Registry by adding this to your npmrc:
@samuelthomas2774:registry=https://npm.pkg.github.com
echo "@samuelthomas2774:registry=https://npm.pkg.github.com" >> `npm --global prefix`/etc/npmrc
encryptAndArmor
encrypts a string or Uint8Array (or a Node.js Buffer) and returns the ASCII-armored encrypted
data as a string.
encrypt
accepts the same arguments as encryptAndArmor
but returns a Buffer without armor.
import {encryptAndArmor} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const plaintext: Buffer | string = '...';
const sender_keypair: tweetnacl.BoxKeyPair = tweetnacl.box.keyPair();
const recipients_keys: Uint8Array[] = [
tweetnacl.box.keyPair().publicKey,
];
const encrypted = await encryptAndArmor(plaintext, sender_keypair, recipients_keys);
// encrypted === 'BEGIN SALTPACK ENCRYPTED MESSAGE. keDIDMQWYvVR58B FTfTeD305h3lDop TELGyPzBAAawRfZ rss3XwjQHK0irv7 rNIcmnvmn5YlTtK 7O1fFPePZGpx46P ...
node-saltpack also supports streaming encryption with EncryptAndArmorStream
or (EncryptStream
for encrypting
without armor).
import {EncryptAndArmorStream} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const sender_keypair: tweetnacl.BoxKeyPair = tweetnacl.box.keyPair();
const recipients_keys: Uint8Array[] = [
tweetnacl.box.keyPair().publicKey,
];
const stream = new EncryptAndArmorStream(sender_keypair, recipients_keys);
stream.end('...');
// Write the encrypted and armored data to stdout
stream.pipe(process.stdout);
Messages can be decrypted with dearmorAndDecrypt
(or decrypt
if the message isn't armored).
import {dearmorAndDecrypt} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const encrypted: string = 'BEGIN SALTPACK ENCRYPTED MESSAGE. keDIDMQWYvVR58B FTfTeD305h3lDop TELGyPzBAAawRfZ rss3XwjQHK0irv7 rNIcmnvmn5YlTtK 7O1fFPePZGpx46P ...';
const recipient_keypair: tweetnacl.BoxKeyPair = tweetnacl.box.keyPair();
// If you know the sender's public key you can pass it to dearmorAndDecrypt and it will throw if it doesn't match
const sender_key: Uint8Array = tweetnacl.box.keyPair().publicKey;
try {
const decrypted = await dearmorAndDecrypt(encrypted, recipient_keypair, sender_key);
// If you didn't pass the sender's public key you should check it now
if (!Buffer.from(decrypted.sender_public_key).equals(sender_keys)) {
throw new Error('Sender public key doesn\'t match');
}
// decrypted === '...'
} catch (err) {
console.error(err);
}
Decryption also supports streaming with DearmorAndDecryptStream
or DecryptStream
.
import {DearmorAndDecryptStream} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const recipient_keypair: tweetnacl.BoxKeyPair = tweetnacl.box.keyPair();
// If you know the sender's public key you can pass it to DearmorAndDecryptStream and it will emit an error if it doesn't match
const sender_key: Uint8Array = tweetnacl.box.keyPair().publicKey;
const stream = new DearmorAndDecryptStream(recipient_keypair, sender_key);
stream.on('end', () => {
// If you didn't pass the sender's public key you should check it now
if (!Buffer.from(stream.sender_public_key).equals(sender_keys)) {
throw new Error('Sender public key doesn\'t match');
}
});
stream.on('error', err => {
console.error(err);
});
stream.end('BEGIN SALTPACK ENCRYPTED MESSAGE. keDIDMQWYvVR58B FTfTeD305h3lDop TELGyPzBAAawRfZ rss3XwjQHK0irv7 rNIcmnvmn5YlTtK 7O1fFPePZGpx46P ...');
// Write the decrypted data to stdout
stream.pipe(process.stdout);
signAndArmor
signs a string or Uint8Array (or a Node.js Buffer) and returns the ASCII-armored signed data as a
string.
sign
accepts the same arguments as signAndArmor
but returns a Buffer without armor.
import {signAndArmor} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const plaintext: Buffer | string = '...';
const signing_keypair: tweetnacl.SignKeyPair = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair();
const signed = await signAndArmor(plaintext, signing_keypair);
// signed === 'BEGIN SALTPACK SIGNED MESSAGE. kYM5h1pg6qz9UMn j6G9T0lmMjkYOsZ Kn4Acw58u39dn3B kmdpuvqpO3t2QdM CnBX5wO1ZIO8LTd knNlCR0WSEC0000 ...
Streaming is supported with SignAndArmorStream
or SignStream
.
import {SignAndArmorStream} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const signing_keypair: tweetnacl.SignKeyPair = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair();
const stream = new SignAndArmorStream(signing_keypair);
stream.end('...');
// Write the signed and armored data to stdout
stream.pipe(process.stdout);
Signed messages can be verified and read with dearmorAndVerify
or verify
.
import {dearmorAndVerify} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const signed: string = 'BEGIN SALTPACK SIGNED MESSAGE. kYM5h1pg6qz9UMn j6G9T0lmMjkYOsZ Kn4Acw58u39dn3B kmdpuvqpO3t2QdM CnBX5wO1ZIO8LTd knNlCR0WSEC0000 ...';
// If you know the sender's public key you can pass it to dearmorAndVerify and it will throw if it doesn't match
const sender_key: Uint8Array = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair().publicKey;
try {
const verified = await dearmorAndVerify(signed, sender_key);
// If you didn't pass the sender's public key you should check it now
if (!Buffer.from(verified.public_key).equals(sender_key)) {
throw new Error('Sender public key doesn\'t match');
}
// verified === '...'
} catch (err) {
console.error(err);
}
Reading signed messages also supports streaming with DearmorAndVerifyStream
or VerifyStream
.
import {DearmorAndVerifyStream} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
// If you know the sender's public key you can pass it to DearmorAndVerifyStream and it will emit an error if it doesn't match
const sender_key: Uint8Array = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair().publicKey;
const stream = new DearmorAndVerifyStream(sender_key);
stream.on('end', () => {
// If you didn't pass the sender's public key you should check it now
if (!Buffer.from(stream.public_key).equals(sender_keys)) {
throw new Error('Sender public key doesn\'t match');
}
});
stream.on('error', err => {
console.error(err);
});
stream.end('BEGIN SALTPACK SIGNED MESSAGE. kYM5h1pg6qz9UMn j6G9T0lmMjkYOsZ Kn4Acw58u39dn3B kmdpuvqpO3t2QdM CnBX5wO1ZIO8LTd knNlCR0WSEC0000 ...');
// Write the decrypted data to stdout
stream.pipe(process.stdout);
signDetachedAndArmor
signs a string or Uint8Array (or a Node.js Buffer) and returns the ASCII-armored signature
as a string.
signDetached
accepts the same arguments as signDetachedAndArmor
but returns a Buffer without armor.
Detached signing/verifying does not support streaming yet.
import {signDetachedAndArmor} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const plaintext: Buffer | string = '...';
const signing_keypair: tweetnacl.SignKeyPair = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair();
const signed = await signDetachedAndArmor(plaintext, signing_keypair);
// signed === 'BEGIN SALTPACK DETACHED SIGNATURE. kYM5h1pg6qz9UMn j6G9T0tZQlxoky3 0YoKQ4s21IrFv3B kmdpuvqpO3t2QdM CnBX5wO1ZIO8LTd knNlCR0WSEC0000 ...
Detached signatures can be verified with dearmorAndVerifyDetached
or verifyDetached
.
import {dearmorAndVerifyDetached} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const signed: string = 'BEGIN SALTPACK SIGNED MESSAGE. kYM5h1pg6qz9UMn j6G9T0lmMjkYOsZ Kn4Acw58u39dn3B kmdpuvqpO3t2QdM CnBX5wO1ZIO8LTd knNlCR0WSEC0000 ...';
const plaintext: Buffer | string = '...';
// If you know the sender's public key you can pass it to dearmorAndVerifyDetached and it will throw if it doesn't match
const sender_key: Uint8Array = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair().publicKey;
try {
const result = await dearmorAndVerifyDetached(signature, plaintext, sender_key);
// If you didn't pass the sender's public key you should check it now
if (!Buffer.from(result.public_key).equals(sender_key)) {
throw new Error('Sender public key doesn\'t match');
}
} catch (err) {
console.error(err);
}
Signcryption is very similar to Saltpack's usual encryption format, but:
- The sender uses an Ed25519 signing key instead of an X25519 encryption key,
- A symmetric key can be provided for a group of recipients instead of each recipient having their own encryption key, and
- Messages are not repudiable, which means anyone who has a copy of the message and a decryption key can verify it's authenticity, not just intended recipients.
signcryptAndArmor
encrypts a string or Uint8Array (or a Node.js Buffer) and returns the ASCII-armored signcrypted
data as a string.
signcrypt
accepts the same arguments as signcryptAndArmor
but returns a Buffer without armor.
import {signcryptAndArmor, SymmetricKeyRecipient} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const plaintext: Buffer | string = '...';
const sender_keypair: tweetnacl.SignKeyPair = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair();
const recipients_keys: (Uint8Array | SymmetricKeyRecipient)[] = [
tweetnacl.box.keyPair().publicKey,
];
const signcrypted = await signcryptAndArmor(plaintext, sender_keypair, recipients_keys);
// signcrypted === 'BEGIN SALTPACK ENCRYPTED MESSAGE. keDIDMQWYvVR58B FTfTeDQNHnhYI5G UXZkLqLqVvhmpfZ rss3XwjQHK0irv7 rNIcmnvmn5RTzTR OPZLLRr1s0DEZtS ...
Streaming is supported with SigncryptAndArmorStream
or (SigncryptStream
for encrypting without armor).
import {SigncryptAndArmorStream, SymmetricKeyRecipient} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const sender_keypair: tweetnacl.SignKeyPair = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair();
const recipients_keys: (Uint8Array | SymmetricKeyRecipient)[] = [
tweetnacl.box.keyPair().publicKey,
];
const stream = new SigncryptAndArmorStream(sender_keypair, recipients_keys);
stream.end('...');
// Write the signcrypted and armored data to stdout
stream.pipe(process.stdout);
Symmetric recipient keys can be used by passing a SymmetricKeyRecipient
instance. You must provide a
unique 32-byte recipient identifier for each symmetric key recipient.
import {signcryptAndArmor, SymmetricKeyRecipient} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const recipients_keys: (Uint8Array | SymmetricKeyRecipient)[] = [
new SymmetricKeyRecipient(
Buffer.from('0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000', 'hex'), // recipient identifier
Buffer.from('0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000', 'hex'), // shared symmetric key
),
];
// Use signcrypt, signcryptAndArmor, SigncryptStream or SigncryptAndArmorStream...
Messages can be decrypted with dearmorAndDesigncrypt
(or designcrypt
if the message isn't armored).
import {dearmorAndDesigncrypt, SymmetricKeyRecipient} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
const encrypted: string = 'BEGIN SALTPACK ENCRYPTED MESSAGE. keDIDMQWYvVR58B FTfTeDQNHnhYI5G UXZkLqLqVvhmpfZ rss3XwjQHK0irv7 rNIcmnvmn5RTzTR OPZLLRr1s0DEZtS ...';
// TODO: how can multiple keys be provided (as a recipient may have multiple shared symmetric keys that may be used for this message)
const recipient_keys: tweetnacl.BoxKeyPair | SymmetricKeyRecipient = tweetnacl.box.keyPair();
// If you know the sender's public key you can pass it to dearmorAndDesigncrypt and it will throw if it doesn't match
const sender_key: Uint8Array = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair().publicKey;
try {
const decrypted = await dearmorAndDesigncrypt(encrypted, recipient_keys, sender_key);
// If you didn't pass the sender's public key you should check it now
if (!Buffer.from(decrypted.sender_public_key).equals(sender_keys)) {
throw new Error('Sender public key doesn\'t match');
}
// decrypted === '...'
} catch (err) {
console.error(err);
}
Decryption also supports streaming with DearmorAndDesigncryptStream
or DesigncryptStream
.
import {DearmorAndDesigncryptStream, SymmetricKeyRecipient} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
// TODO: how can multiple keys be provided (as a recipient may have multiple shared symmetric keys that may be used for this message)
const recipient_keys: tweetnacl.BoxKeyPair | SymmetricKeyRecipient = tweetnacl.box.keyPair();
// If you know the sender's public key you can pass it to DearmorAndDesigncryptStream and it will emit an error if it doesn't match
const sender_key: Uint8Array = tweetnacl.sign.keyPair().publicKey;
const stream = new DearmorAndDesigncryptStream(recipient_keys, sender_key);
stream.on('end', () => {
// If you didn't pass the sender's public key you should check it now
if (!Buffer.from(stream.sender_public_key).equals(sender_keys)) {
throw new Error('Sender public key doesn\'t match');
}
});
stream.on('error', err => {
console.error(err);
});
stream.end('BEGIN SALTPACK ENCRYPTED MESSAGE. keDIDMQWYvVR58B FTfTeDQNHnhYI5G UXZkLqLqVvhmpfZ rss3XwjQHK0irv7 rNIcmnvmn5RTzTR OPZLLRr1s0DEZtS ...');
// Write the decrypted data to stdout
stream.pipe(process.stdout);
Symmetric keys can be used by passing a SymmetricKeyRecipient
instance. You must provide the
recipient's unique 32-byte recipient identifier.
import {dearmorAndDesigncrypt, SymmetricKeyRecipient} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
import * as tweetnacl from 'tweetnacl';
// TODO: how can multiple keys be provided (as a recipient may have multiple shared symmetric keys that may be used for this message)
const recipient_keys: tweetnacl.BoxKeyPair | SymmetricKeyRecipient = new SymmetricKeyRecipient(
Buffer.from('0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000', 'hex'), // recipient identifier
Buffer.from('0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000', 'hex'), // shared symmetric key
);
// Use designcrypt, dearmorAndDesigncrypt, DesigncryptStream or DearmorAndDesigncryptStream...
Keybase paper keys can be used with KeybasePaperKey.from
.
import {dearmorAndDecrypt, KeybasePaperKey, signAndArmor} from '@samuelthomas2774/saltpack';
const paper_key: string = '...';
const keys = await KeybasePaperKey.from(paper_key);
// Encryption
const encrypted: string = 'BEGIN SALTPACK ENCRYPTED MESSAGE. keDIDMQWYvVR58B FTfTeD305h3lDop TELGyPzBAAawRfZ rss3XwjQHK0irv7 rNIcmnvmn5YlTtK 7O1fFPePZGpx46P ...';
const recipient_keypair: tweetnacl.BoxKeyPair = keys.encryption_keypair;
const decrypted = await dearmorAndDecrypt(encrypted, recipient_keypair);
// decrypted === '...'
// Signing
const plaintext: Buffer | string = '...';
const signing_keypair: tweetnacl.SignKeyPair = keys.signing_keypair;
const signed = await signAndArmor(plaintext, signing_keypair);
// signed === 'BEGIN SALTPACK SIGNED MESSAGE. kYM5h1pg6qz9UMn j6G9T0lmMjkYOsZ Kn4Acw58u39dn3B kmdpuvqpO3t2QdM CnBX5wO1ZIO8LTd knNlCR0WSEC0000 ...
- node-saltpack always chunks input data to 1 MB payloads.
- node-saltpack is fully tested with php-saltpack.
- node-saltpack is partially tested with Keybase:
- Encrypted messages created by node-saltpack and php-saltpack can be decrypted with Keybase.
- Signcrypted messages created by node-saltpack and php-saltpack can be decrypted with Keybase.
- Signed messages created by Keybase can be verified with node-saltpack and php-saltpack.
- Signed messages created by node-saltpack and php-saltpack can be read by Keybase.
node-saltpack is released under the MIT license. Saltpack is designed by the Keybase developers, and uses NaCl for crypto and MessagePack for binary encoding. node-saltpack uses TweetNaCl.js. node-saltpack and php-saltpack's armoring implementation is based on saltpack-ruby.