SEA.encrypt()

Encrypt data using AES-GCM symmetric encryption. The data can be decrypted by anyone with the same encryption key.

Syntax

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, key)
SEA.encrypt(data, key, callback)
SEA.encrypt(data, key, callback, options)

Parameters

data (any): Data to encrypt (strings, objects, arrays, numbers)
key (string|object): Encryption key or key pair with epriv property
callback (function, optional): Called with encrypted result
options (object, optional):
- encode: Encoding for output (default: ‘base64’)
- name: Encryption algorithm (default: ‘AES-GCM’)
- raw: Return raw object instead of SEA-prefixed string (default: false)

Returns

A Promise that resolves to an encrypted string:

"SEA{\"ct\":\"...\",\"iv\":\"...\",\"s\":\"...\"}"

Or if raw: true, returns an object:

{
  ct: 'encrypted_ciphertext',
  iv: 'initialization_vector',
  s: 'salt'
}

Basic Usage

Encrypt with Password

const data = { secret: 'my secret data' };
const password = 'my-secure-password';

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, password);
console.log(encrypted);
// SEA{"ct":"base64...","iv":"base64...","s":"base64..."}

Encrypt with Key Pair

const pair = await SEA.pair();
const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt('secret message', pair);
// Uses pair.epriv as the encryption key

With Callback

SEA.encrypt('sensitive data', 'password', (encrypted) => {
  console.log('Encrypted:', encrypted);
});

How It Works

Reference: ~/workspace/source/sea/encrypt.js:9-38

Key Derivation: Derives AES-GCM key from input key + random salt
Random Values: Generates random salt (9 bytes) and IV (15 bytes)
Stringify: Converts data to JSON string if not already a string
Encryption: Encrypts using AES-GCM-256
Output: Returns base64-encoded ciphertext, IV, and salt

Encryption Process

// 1. Generate random values
const salt = shim.random(9);      // 9-byte random salt
const iv = shim.random(15);       // 15-byte initialization vector

// 2. Derive AES key
const aesKey = await deriveKey(key, salt);

// 3. Encrypt data
const ciphertext = await crypto.subtle.encrypt(
  { name: 'AES-GCM', iv: iv },
  aesKey,
  data
);

// 4. Encode and return
return {
  ct: base64(ciphertext),
  iv: base64(iv),
  s: base64(salt)
};

Encrypted Data Structure

Default Format (String)

"SEA{\"ct\":\"Q2lwaGVydGV4dA==\",\"iv\":\"SW5pdFZlY3Rvcg==\",\"s\":\"U2FsdA==\"}"

Raw Format (Object)

With raw: true option:

{
  ct: 'Q2lwaGVydGV4dA==',  // Ciphertext (base64)
  iv: 'SW5pdFZlY3Rvcg==',  // Initialization Vector (base64)
  s: 'U2FsdA=='            // Salt (base64)
}

Field Descriptions

ct: Encrypted ciphertext (AES-GCM output)
iv: Initialization vector (random, unique per encryption)
s: Salt (random, used for key derivation)

Encryption Key Types

Using a Password

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, 'password123');
// Password is hashed with salt to derive AES key

Using Key Pair’s epriv

const pair = await SEA.pair();
const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, pair);
// Uses pair.epriv as encryption key

Using epriv Directly

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, pair.epriv);

Using Shared Secret

const alice = await SEA.pair();
const bob = await SEA.pair();

// Derive shared secret
const secret = await SEA.secret(bob.epub, alice);

// Encrypt with shared secret
const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, secret);
// Only Alice and Bob can decrypt

Data Types

Strings

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt('Hello World', 'password');

Objects

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(
  { name: 'Alice', age: 30 },
  'password'
);

Arrays

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(
  [1, 2, 3, 'four'],
  'password'
);

Numbers

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(42, 'password');

Undefined values are not allowed. Attempting to encrypt undefined will throw an error: “undefined not allowed.”

Options

Raw Output

Return object instead of string:

const raw = await SEA.encrypt(data, key, null, { raw: true });
console.log(raw.ct);  // Access ciphertext directly
console.log(raw.iv);  // Access IV directly
console.log(raw.s);   // Access salt directly

Custom Encoding

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, key, null, {
  encode: 'hex'  // Use hex instead of base64
});

Custom Algorithm

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, key, null, {
  name: 'AES-GCM'  // Default; other modes not currently supported
});

Use Cases

Private User Data

// Store encrypted private data
const secrets = {
  ssn: '123-45-6789',
  creditCard: '4111-1111-1111-1111'
};

const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(secrets, user._.sea);
user.get('private').put(encrypted);

End-to-End Encrypted Messages

// Alice sends encrypted message to Bob
const alice = await SEA.pair();
const bob = await SEA.pair();

// Derive shared secret
const secret = await SEA.secret(bob.epub, alice);

// Encrypt message
const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt('Secret message', secret);

// Bob can decrypt with same shared secret
const bobSecret = await SEA.secret(alice.epub, bob);
const decrypted = await SEA.decrypt(encrypted, bobSecret);

Encrypted Backups

const backupData = await gun.get('mydata').then();
const password = prompt('Enter backup password:');
const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(backupData, password);

// Save encrypted backup
downloadFile('backup.enc', encrypted);

Security Considerations

AES-GCM

SEA uses AES-GCM (Galois/Counter Mode):

Key Size: 256 bits
IV Size: 15 bytes (120 bits)
Authentication: Built-in authentication tag
Security: Authenticated encryption (confidentiality + integrity)

Key Derivation

Keys are derived using SHA-256 hash:

const derivedKey = SHA256(key + salt)

Reference: ~/workspace/source/sea/aeskey.js (imported in encrypt.js)

Random Values

Salt: 9 bytes of cryptographically secure random data
IV: 15 bytes of cryptographically secure random data
Source: crypto.getRandomValues() (browser) or crypto.randomBytes() (Node.js)

IV Uniqueness

Never reuse an IV with the same key. SEA generates a fresh random IV for every encryption operation, ensuring uniqueness.

Password Strength

When using passwords as keys:

Use strong, unique passwords
Consider using SEA.work() for password-based encryption (adds PBKDF2)
Minimum 12+ characters recommended
Mix uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols

Error Handling

try {
  const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, key);
} catch (err) {
  console.error('Encryption failed:', err);
  // Common errors:
  // "`undefined` not allowed."
  // "No encryption key."
  // Web Crypto API errors
}

With Callbacks

SEA.encrypt(data, key, (result) => {
  if (!result) {
    console.error('Encryption failed');
    return;
  }
  console.log('Encrypted:', result);
});

Performance

Speed: Very fast (hardware-accelerated AES-GCM)
Size Overhead: ~30-40 bytes (IV + salt + JSON structure)
Async: Always asynchronous (uses Web Crypto API)

const start = Date.now();
const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(largeData, key);
console.log('Encrypted in', Date.now() - start, 'ms');

Common Patterns

Encrypt Before Storing

const savePrivate = async (path, data, password) => {
  const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(data, password);
  gun.get(path).put(encrypted);
};

await savePrivate('secrets', { api_key: 'xyz' }, 'password');

Conditional Encryption

const saveData = async (data, encrypt = false) => {
  if (encrypt && user.is) {
    data = await SEA.encrypt(data, user._.sea);
  }
  gun.get('data').put(data);
};

Batch Encryption

const items = ['secret1', 'secret2', 'secret3'];
const encrypted = await Promise.all(
  items.map(item => SEA.encrypt(item, key))
);

Integration with GUN

// Automatically encrypt user data
gun.user().auth(pair, async (ack) => {
  const privateData = { ssn: '123-45-6789' };
  const encrypted = await SEA.encrypt(privateData, pair);
  
  gun.user().get('private').put(encrypted);
});

// Later, decrypt when reading
gun.user().get('private').once(async (encrypted) => {
  const decrypted = await SEA.decrypt(encrypted, user._.sea);
  console.log('Private data:', decrypted);
});

Get Started

Core Concepts

API Reference

Security (SEA)

Storage Adapters

Advanced

Integration Guides

​SEA.encrypt()

​Syntax

​Parameters

​Returns

​Basic Usage

​Encrypt with Password

​Encrypt with Key Pair

​With Callback

​How It Works

​Encryption Process

​Encrypted Data Structure

​Default Format (String)

​Raw Format (Object)

​Field Descriptions

​Encryption Key Types

​Using a Password

​Using Key Pair’s epriv

​Using epriv Directly

​Using Shared Secret

​Data Types

​Strings

​Objects

​Arrays

​Numbers

​Options

​Raw Output

​Custom Encoding

​Custom Algorithm

​Use Cases

​Private User Data

​End-to-End Encrypted Messages

​Encrypted Backups

​Security Considerations

​AES-GCM

​Key Derivation

​Random Values

​IV Uniqueness

​Password Strength

​Error Handling

​With Callbacks

​Performance

​Common Patterns

​Encrypt Before Storing

​Conditional Encryption

​Batch Encryption

​Integration with GUN

SEA.encrypt()

Syntax

Parameters

Returns

Basic Usage

Encrypt with Password

Encrypt with Key Pair

With Callback

How It Works

Encryption Process

Encrypted Data Structure

Default Format (String)

Raw Format (Object)

Field Descriptions

Encryption Key Types

Using a Password

Using Key Pair’s epriv

Using epriv Directly

Using Shared Secret

Data Types

Strings

Objects

Arrays

Numbers

Options

Raw Output

Custom Encoding

Custom Algorithm

Use Cases

Private User Data

End-to-End Encrypted Messages

Encrypted Backups

Security Considerations

AES-GCM

Key Derivation

Random Values

IV Uniqueness

Password Strength

Error Handling

With Callbacks

Performance

Common Patterns

Encrypt Before Storing

Conditional Encryption

Batch Encryption

Integration with GUN