# SQLCipher

SQLCipher is a standalone fork of SQLite that adds 256 bit AES encryption of database files and other security features.

Repository: https://github.com/sqlcipher/sqlcipher
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/sqlcipher
Homepage: https://www.zetetic.net/sqlcipher/
Language: C
License: BSD-3-Clause
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-18T13:58:59+00:00
Link (homepage): https://www.zetetic.net/sqlcipher/

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 86, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 6608, "days_push": 15, "days_rel": 15, "gap_med": 43, "n_releases_24m": 12}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 7254, forks 1402 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:57.852990+00:00)

## What it is
SQLCipher is an open-source fork of SQLite that adds full-database 256-bit AES encryption, tamper detection, and strong key derivation. It is a C library that can be embedded in applications on virtually any platform, with drop-in compatibility with standard SQLite APIs.

## Use cases
- encrypt a local SQLite database file with AES-256
- store sensitive user data securely on mobile devices
- protect embedded application databases at rest
- convert a plaintext SQLite database to an encrypted one
- add tamper detection to a local database
- build an app that requires encrypted storage for compliance

## When to choose
- you use SQLite and need transparent, on-the-fly encryption of the entire database file
- you need a mature, widely deployed embedded database encryption solution with minimal performance overhead
- you want application-level cryptography with zero configuration and multiple crypto provider options

## When to avoid
- you need a client-server database with network access controls rather than file-level encryption
- you need encryption of individual columns or fields rather than the whole database file
- you require a pure managed-language solution without native C dependencies

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: database, security, cryptography
- domain: databases, security, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform, windows, c
- tags: sqlite, encryption, aes-256, embedded-database, database-encryption, android, ios, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- sqlcipher/sqlcipher (main) score 94
- sqlcipher/android-database-sqlcipher (sdk) score 51

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:57.852990+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 2026-08-29T17:39:43.162678+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/sqlcipher/sqlcipher (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:57.852990+00:00, sha 9c4a6360c8e3)
  - homepage: https://www.zetetic.net/sqlcipher/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:34:21.938120+00:00, sha 0379085bdb35)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.