# Install enchive with Homebrew, Nix, zypper

Encrypted personal archives. Version 3.5 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#enchive.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:enchive
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install enchive
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#enchive
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/en/enchive/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install enchive
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: enchive from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:enchive
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 3.5
- **Source summary:** Encrypted personal archives
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/skeeto/enchive>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/skeeto/enchive>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- enchive (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 3.5
## Project history and usage

Enchive is a small personal-file encryption tool for archiving files to yourself. Its README positions it as a focused alternative to larger systems such as GnuPG or encrypted filesystems, with no external dependencies and portability prioritized over performance.

### Project history

The public repository dates to 2017, and the project's own documentation frames it as intentionally self-contained rather than ecosystem-seeking. It uses public-key style archival: a public key can encrypt files on machines that should not hold the secret key, while the secret key is needed for extraction.

### Adoption history

Enchive's README explicitly says it does not need critical mass because it does not need to interoperate with other systems or people. Its adoption story is therefore narrow by design: it appeals to users who want a copyable, auditable CLI for personal encrypted archives rather than a shared standard.

### How it is used

The documented workflow has three core commands: `keygen`, `archive`, and `extract`. By default, `keygen` writes `enchive.pub` and `enchive.sec` under `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/enchive` or `~/.config/enchive`; archiving produces a `.enchive` file while leaving the original in place unless deletion is requested.

The tool also supports deriving an asymmetric key pair from a passphrase, using an scrypt-like memory-hard derivation scheme, and can run a short-lived key agent on Unix-like systems to avoid repeated passphrase prompts.

### Why package nerds care

Enchive is package-nerd interesting because it is deliberately small: one CLI, no external dependencies, a documented file format, and a build that can produce a standalone C program. It represents the opposite end of the packaging spectrum from large crypto suites.

The tradeoff is visible in the README: Enchive is not trying to be a universal format or social web of keys. It is for users who want a simple local archival workflow and are comfortable choosing a niche tool for that job.

### Timeline

- 2017: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2018: Published manual page generated for Enchive.
- 2025: Repository remained updated, according to available GitHub metadata.

### Related projects

- GnuPG and encrypted filesystems are named by the README as more complex alternatives.
- Curve25519, ChaCha-family encryption, HMAC-SHA256, and an scrypt-like key derivation algorithm are documented implementation pieces.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/skeeto/enchive>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/skeeto/enchive/master/README.md>
- <https://nullprogram.com/enchive/>
- <https://api.github.com/repos/skeeto/enchive>


## Security Notes

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

- **Geiger risk:** blue / medium
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal


## Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.


## Configuration files

- Unix: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/enchive/enchive.pub, ~/.config/enchive/enchive.pub

## Credential files

- Unix: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/enchive/enchive.sec, ~/.config/enchive/enchive.sec
## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - enchive: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/en/enchive/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- zypper - enchive - 3.5-2.8: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: enchive from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Long-term archive encryption tool | https://github.com/skeeto/enchive


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/enchive.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/enchive.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph