# rfjakob/gocryptfs

Encrypted overlay filesystem written in Go

Repository: https://github.com/rfjakob/gocryptfs
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/gocryptfs
Homepage: https://nuetzlich.net/gocryptfs/
Language: Go
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: gcm, encryption, fuse, filesystem, golang
Last push: 2026-07-22T20:07:26+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 93, release rhythm 42, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4014, "days_push": 42, "days_rel": 388, "gap_med": 21.0, "n_releases_24m": 7}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4582, forks 300 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:54.512764+00:00)

## What it is
gocryptfs is an encrypted overlay filesystem written in Go, built on the go-fuse library, that stores each file as a corresponding encrypted file on disk. It was inspired by EncFS, aims to fix its security issues while providing good performance, and has been independently security-audited.

## Use cases
- encrypt a folder of files with per-file encryption on Linux
- store encrypted files in a Dropbox folder that syncs efficiently
- create an encrypted filesystem on a USB stick
- replace EncFS with a more secure and faster alternative
- encrypt file names and contents with AES-GCM and EME
- mount an encrypted directory as a plain readable filesystem

## When to choose
- you need file-based (not full-disk) encryption so files sync efficiently with Dropbox or rsync
- you are on Linux (native platform) and want a mature, audited FUSE encryption tool
- you want a dynamic-size encrypted filesystem limited only by disk space
- you need signed releases and a well-documented crypto design

## When to avoid
- you need full-disk or block-device encryption (use LUKS instead)
- you require rock-solid Windows support natively (only third-party cppcryptfs exists)
- you need guaranteed stability on macOS (support is beta-quality)
- you cannot use FUSE in your environment

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: cryptography, file-system, security, cli
- domain: security, privacy, files, developer-tools
- platform: cli, go
- tags: fuse, encrypted-filesystem, cloud-storage-encryption, encfs-successor, file-based-encryption, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- rfjakob/gocryptfs (main) score 77

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:54.512764+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:19:53.847867+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/rfjakob/gocryptfs (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:54.512764+00:00, sha 25eca62dbc11)
  - homepage: https://nuetzlich.net/gocryptfs/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:05:11.528859+00:00, sha c67ee1cd6056)
  - site_page: https://nuetzlich.net/gocryptfs/quickstart (fetched 2026-08-29T09:05:11.539301+00:00, sha 8a0bc544fac7)
  - site_page: https://nuetzlich.net/gocryptfs/releases (fetched 2026-08-29T09:05:11.541091+00:00, sha 133760006cb8)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.