Libsodium is a portable, C-based cryptographic library that provides a collection of modern primitives for encryption, decryption, digital signatures, password hashing, and secure key exchange. It is designed to facilitate secure communication and data integrity across diverse hardware architectures and operating systems.
The library distinguishes itself by utilizing constant-time primitive execution to prevent side-channel attacks and employing memory-hard algorithms to increase the difficulty of brute-force password attacks. It abstracts complex mathematical operations into simplified interfaces, reducing the risk of implementation errors while ensuring that all cryptographic keys and nonces are generated using high-entropy data harvested directly from system-level sources.
The project covers a broad capability surface, including authenticated encryption, symmetric and asymmetric key management, and digital message authentication. It supports data protection through padding and key derivation, allowing for the integration of secure cryptographic functions into various application components.
