SQLite Cipher Download: How to Encrypt Your SQLite Database
SQLite is a popular embedded database engine that is widely used by many applications and devices. However, SQLite does not provide any built-in encryption or password protection for the database files. This means that anyone who has access to the database file can read or modify the data without any restriction.
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If you want to protect your sensitive data from unauthorized access, you need to encrypt your SQLite database. One way to do that is to use SQLite Cipher, a security extension to SQLite that adds 256-bit AES encryption of database files and other security features.
What is SQLite Cipher?
SQLite Cipher is a standalone fork of SQLite that adds 256-bit AES encryption of database files and other security features like:
On-the-fly encryption
Tamper detection
Memory sanitization
Strong key derivation
SQLite Cipher is based on SQLite and stable upstream release features are periodically integrated. While SQLite Cipher is maintained as a separate version of the source tree, the project minimizes alterations to core SQLite code whenever possible.
SQLite Cipher is maintained by Zetetic, LLC, and additional information and documentation is available on the official .
Features of SQLite Cipher
Some of the main features of SQLite Cipher are:
Fast performance with as little as 5-15% overhead for encryption on many operations
100% of data in the database file is encrypted
Good security practices (CBC mode, HMAC, key derivation)
Zero-configuration and application level cryptography
Algorithms provided by the peer reviewed OpenSSL crypto library
Configurable crypto providers
Compatibility with standard SQLite databases
Possibility to convert from a plaintext database (standard SQLite) to an encrypted SQLite Cipher database using ATTACH and the sqlcipher_export() convenience function
Benefits of SQLite Cipher
Some of the benefits of using SQLite Cipher are:
You can protect your data from unauthorized access, theft, or tampering
You can comply with data privacy regulations and standards
You can use the same SQL syntax and API as standard SQLite
You can leverage the existing features and benefits of SQLite such as portability, reliability, performance, and simplicity
You can choose from different platforms and languages that support SQLite Cipher such as C/C++, Obj-C, QT, Win32/.NET, Java, Python, Ruby, Linux, macOS , iOS & Mac Catalyst , Android, iOS .NET and Android .NET
You can get support from the community or purchase official packages and licenses from Zetetic
How to Install SQLite Cipher
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Prerequisites
Before you install SQLite Cipher, you need to have the following prerequisites:
Visual Studio 2019 or later
OpenSSL 1.1.1 or later
Git
Downloading SQLite Cipher
To download SQLite Cipher, you need to clone the SQLite Cipher GitHub repository using the following command:
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git clone
This will create a folder named sqlcipher in your current directory. You can also download the zip file from the GitHub page and extract it to a folder of your choice.
Building SQLite Cipher
To build SQLite Cipher, you need to open the Visual Studio solution file located in sqlcipher\sqlite3\sqlite3.sln. You can choose either the Debug or Release configuration and the x86 or x64 platform. Then, you need to build the solution by pressing F7 or selecting Build Solution from the Build menu.
This will create a static library file named sqlite3.lib in sqlcipher\sqlite3\Debug or sqlcipher\sqlite3\Release depending on your configuration. You can also create a dynamic library file named sqlite3.dll by changing the project properties to use /MD instead of /MT and /LD instead of /MTd.
You can now use SQLite Cipher in your applications by linking to the library file and including the header file sqlite3.h.
How to Use SQLite Cipher
In this section, we will show you how to use SQLite Cipher in a C/C++ application using Visual Studio. For other languages and platforms, please refer to the .
Creating an Encrypted Database
To create an encrypted database using SQLite Cipher, you need to do the following steps:
Include the header file sqlite3.h in your source code.
Link to the library file sqlite3.lib or sqlite3.dll in your project settings.
Open a database connection using sqlite3_open() or sqlite3_open_v2() and specify a file name for your database.
Set the encryption key for your database using sqlite3_key() or sqlite3_key_v2() and pass a pointer to your key data and its length.
Create tables and insert data into your database as usual using SQL commands.
Close the database connection using sqlite3_close() or sqlite3_close_v2().
Here is an example of creating an encrypted database named test.db with a key of "secret":
#include "sqlite3.h" int main(void) // Declare variables sqlite3 *db; char *err_msg = NULL; int rc; // Open database connection rc = sqlite3_open("test.db", &db); if (rc != SQLITE_OK) fprintf(stderr, "Cannot open database: %s\n", sqlite3_errmsg(db)); sqlite3_close(db); return 1; // Set encryption key rc = sqlite3_key(db, "secret", 6); if (rc != SQLITE_OK) fprintf(stderr, "Cannot set key: %s\n", sqlite3_errmsg(db)); sqlite3_close(db); return 1; // Create table char *sql = "CREATE TABLE Users(Id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, Name TEXT);"; rc = sqlite3_exec(db, sql, NULL, NULL, &err_msg); if (rc != SQLITE_OK ) fprintf(stderr, "SQL error: %s\n", err_msg); sqlite3_free(err_msg); sqlite3_close(db); return 1; // Insert data sql = "INSERT INTO Users VALUES(1, 'Alice');" "INSERT INTO Users VALUES(2, 'Bob');" "INSERT INTO Users VALUES(3, 'Charlie');"; rc = sqlite3_exec(db, sql, NULL, NULL, &err_msg); if (rc != SQLITE_OK ) fprintf(stderr, "SQL error: %s\n", err_msg); sqlite3_free(err_msg); sqlite3_close(db); return 1; // Close database connection sqlite3_close(db); return 0;
You can verify that your database is encrypted by opening it with a hex editor or a standard SQLite tool. You should see random bytes instead of readable text.
Opening an Encrypted Database
To open an encrypted database using SQLite Cipher, you need to do the following steps:
Include the header file sqlite3.h in your source code.
Link to the library file sqlite3.lib or sqlite3.dll in your project settings.
Open a database connection using sqlite3_open() or sqlite3_open_v2() and specify the file name of your encrypted database.
Set the encryption key for your database using sqlite3_key() or sqlite3_key_v2() and pass a pointer to your key data and its length.
Query and update data in your database as usual using SQL commands.
Close the database connection using sqlite3_close() or sqlite3_close_v2().
Here is an example of opening an encrypted database named test.db with a key of "secret" and printing the names of the users:
#include "sqlite3.h" // Callback function for printing query results static int callback(void *NotUsed, int argc, char argv, char azColName) int i; for (i = 0; i
You should see the following output:
Name = Alice Name = Bob Name = Charlie
Changing the Encryption Key
To change the encryption key of an existing database using SQLite Cipher, you need to do the following steps:
Include the header file sqlite3.h in your source code.
Link to the library file sqlite3.lib or sqlite3.dll in your project settings.
Open a database connection using sqlite3_open() or sqlite3_open_v2() and specify the file name of your encrypted database.
Set the current encryption key for your database using sqlite3_key() or sqlite3_key_v2() and pass a pointer to your key data and its length.
Set the new encryption key for your database using sqlite3_rekey() or sqlite3_rekey_v2() and pass a pointer to your new key data and its length.
Close the database connection using sqlite3_close() or sqlite3_close_v2().
Here is an example of changing the encryption key of a database named test.db from "secret" to "newsecret":
#include "sqlite3.h" int main(void) // Declare variables sqlite3 *db; char *err_msg = NULL; int rc; // Open database connection rc = sqlite3_open("test.db", &db); if (rc != SQLITE_OK) fprintf(stderr, "Cannot open database: %s\n", sqlite3_errmsg(db)); sqlite3_close(db); return 1; // Set current encryption key rc = sqlite3_key(db, "secret", 6); if (rc != SQLITE_OK) fprintf(stderr, "Cannot set key: %s\n", sqlite3_errmsg(db)); sqlite3_close(db); return 1; // Set new encryption key rc = sqlite3_rekey(db, "newsecret", 8); if (rc != SQLITE_OK) fprintf(stderr, "Cannot rekey: %s\n", sqlite3_errmsg(db)); sqlite3_close(db); return 1; // Close database connection sqlite3_close(db); return 0;
You can verify that your database is encrypted with the new key by opening it with SQLite Cipher and providing the new key.
SQLite Cipher Alternatives
If you are looking for other ways to encrypt your SQLite database, you can consider some of the following alternatives:
SEE
SEE stands for SQLite Encryption Extension and it is an official extension developed by the SQLite developers. It provides AES-256 encryption of database files and other features like:
Pluggable encryption algorithms
Partial database encryption
Encrypted temporary files
Encrypted journal files
Encrypted backup files
SEE is not free and requires a license fee of $2000 per application. You can find more information about SEE on the .
wxSQLite
wxSQLite is an extension for SQLite that provides AES-256 encryption of database files using the wxWidgets library. It also supports other features like:
User-defined functions
BLOB handling
Metadata methods
Loadable extensions
R*Tree module
Full-text search module
JSON1 extension module
Carray extension module
Csv virtual table module
Serious encryption extension module (SEE compatible)
SQLite user authentication module (userauth)
Lua SQL extension module (lsqlite)
wxSQLite is free and open source under the wxWindows Library Licence. You can find more information about wxSQLite on the .
SQLCipher
SQLCipher is another extension for SQLite that provides AES-256 encryption of database files using OpenSSL. It also supports other features like:
HMAC page authentication
Per-page IVs
Memory wiping
Key derivation
Configurable crypto providers
Compatibility with standard SQLite databases
Possibility to convert from a plaintext database (standard SQLite) to an encrypted SQLCipher database using ATTACH and the sqlcipher_export() convenience function
SQLCipher is free and open source under a BSD-style license for non-commercial use. For commercial use, you need to purchase a license from Zetetic. You can find more information about SQLCipher on the .
SQLite Cipher Performance
In this section, we will discuss some aspects of SQLite Cipher performance and how to optimize it.
Encryption Overhead
SQLite Cipher adds some overhead to the database operations due to the encryption and decryption of the data. The exact amount of overhead depends on several factors such as:
The size and complexity of the queries
The number and type of indexes
The encryption algorithm and mode
The key length and derivation method
The hardware and software environment
In general, SQLite Cipher performs well with as little as 5-15% overhead for encryption on many operations. However, some operations may incur more overhead such as:
Creating or dropping tables or indexes
Vacuuming or defragmenting the database
Inserting or updating large amounts of data
Performing full table scans or joins without indexes
To measure the performance of SQLite Cipher, you can use tools like . You can also compare the performance of SQLite Cipher with standard SQLite or other encryption extensions using the same tools.
Performance Tips
To optimize the performance of SQLite Cipher, you can follow some of these tips:
Use a fast and reliable storage device for your database file
Avoid unnecessary encryption and decryption by using plain text for non-sensitive data or columns
Use appropriate indexes for your queries and avoid full table scans or joins without indexes
Use prepared statements and bind parameters for repeated queries
Use transactions and batch operations to reduce disk I/O and locking overhead
Tune the page size and cache size parameters according to your data size and access pattern
Vacuum or defragment your database periodically to reclaim unused space and improve performance
Use PRAGMA statements to configure SQLite Cipher settings such as cipher, kdf_iter, hmac_algorithm, etc.
Use PRAGMA cipher_integrity_check to verify the integrity of your encrypted database file
Use PRAGMA cipher_migrate to upgrade your encrypted database file to the latest format version if needed
Conclusion
Summary
In this article, we have learned how to encrypt your SQLite database using SQLite Cipher, a security extension that adds 256-bit AES encryption of database files and other features. We have also learned how to install, use, and optimize SQLite Cipher on Windows using Visual Studio. We have also discussed some alternatives to SQLite Cipher such as SEE, wxSQLite, and SQLCipher.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about SQLite Cipher:
What is the difference between SQLite Cipher and SQLCipher?
SQLite Cipher and SQLCipher are both forks of SQLite that provide encryption of database files using 256-bit AES. However, they are maintained by different organizations (Zetetic for SQLCipher and Richard Hipp for SQLite Cipher) and have some differences in features, licensing, and compatibility. For example, SQLCipher supports more platforms and languages than SQLite Cipher, but SQLite Cipher is more compatible with standard SQLite databases.
How secure is SQLite Cipher?
SQLite Cipher uses strong encryption algorithms (AES-256) and modes (CBC) to protect your data from unauthorized access. It also uses HMAC for tamper detection, memory wiping for sensitive data, key derivation for password strengthening, and configurable crypto providers for flexibility. However, no encryption system is perfect and you should always follow good security practices such as choosing a strong password, storing your key securely, limiting access to your database file, etc.
How can I decrypt an SQLite Cipher database?
To decrypt an SQLite Cipher database, you need to have the correct encryption key and use SQLite Cipher to open the database. You can then use SQL commands to query and update the data as usual. Alternatively, you can use the sqlcipher_export() convenience function to convert an encrypted SQLite Cipher database to a plaintext standard SQLite database using the ATTACH command.
How can I encrypt an existing SQLite database?
To encrypt an existing SQLite database, you need to use SQLite Cipher to open the database and provide the encryption key. You can then use the sqlcipher_export() convenience function to convert a plaintext standard SQLite database to an encrypted SQLite Cipher database using the ATTACH command.
How can I change the encryption key of an SQLite Cipher database?
To change the encryption key of an SQLite Cipher database, you need to use SQLite Cipher to open the database and provide the current encryption key. You can then use the sqlite3_rekey() or sqlite3_rekey_v2() function to set a new encryption key for the database.
How can I check the integrity of an SQLite Cipher database?
To check the integrity of an SQLite Cipher database, you need to use SQLite Cipher to open the database and provide the encryption key. You can then use the PRAGMA cipher_integrity_check statement to verify that the database file is not corrupted or tampered with.
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