Frequently Asked Questions¶

Common questions about vaultix and encrypted folders.

General¶

What is vaultix?¶

Vaultix is a command-line tool that encrypts files in a directory using password-based encryption. It's designed for protecting sensitive files on your local computer.

Is vaultix free?¶

Yes, vaultix is open-source software released under the MIT License. It's completely free to use, modify, and distribute.

What platforms does vaultix support?¶

✅ Linux (all distributions)
✅ macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon)
✅ Windows (Windows 10+)

Is vaultix a password manager?¶

No. Vaultix encrypts files and folders. For managing passwords, use dedicated password managers like:

Bitwarden
1Password
KeePassXC

Can I use vaultix on multiple computers?¶

Yes! Your encrypted vault is just a normal folder. Copy it to any computer and use vaultix with the same password.

Security¶

How secure is vaultix?¶

Vaultix uses industry-standard cryptography:

Encryption: AES-256-GCM
Key derivation: Argon2id
Randomness: crypto/rand (cryptographically secure)

These are the same algorithms used by banks and military applications.

Can anyone break the encryption?¶

With a strong password, no. AES-256 would take billions of years to brute-force with current technology.

However, weak passwords can be cracked quickly. Use strong passwords!

What if I forget my password?¶

Your files are permanently unrecoverable. There is no password reset, no backdoor, no recovery mechanism. This is by design.

Prevention:

Use a password manager
Write password down and store securely
Test password immediately after creating vault

Can someone access my files if they steal my laptop?¶

If your laptop is stolen:

✅ Vaultix-encrypted files are safe (with strong password)
❌ Extracted (decrypted) files are readable
❌ Files currently being edited are readable

Additional protection:

Use full-disk encryption (LUKS, FileVault, BitLocker)
Lock your computer when away
Don't leave decrypted files lying around

Is the `.vaultix` folder hidden for security?¶

No. Hiding .vaultix is purely for cleanliness, not security. The encryption protects your files, not hiding them.

Anyone can see the .vaultix folder exists, but they can't decrypt its contents without your password.

Can I safely upload encrypted vaults to cloud storage?¶

Yes! Encrypted vaults are safe to store in:

Dropbox
Google Drive
OneDrive
Any cloud service

But:

❌ Never upload decrypted files to untrusted storage
✅ Use unique, strong passwords for sensitive vaults
✅ Consider using dedicated encrypted cloud storage (Proton Drive, etc.)

What if someone installs a keylogger?¶

Vaultix can't protect against keyloggers. If your system is compromised:

Attacker can capture your password as you type
Attacker can read files while you work on them

Protection:

Keep your OS and antivirus updated
Don't run untrusted software
Use hardware security keys for important accounts
Consider using an air-gapped computer for extremely sensitive data

Usage¶

Do I need to type my password every time?¶

Yes. Vaultix has no "unlock" state. You enter your password each time you run a command.

This is intentional - it ensures:

Files are only accessible when you explicitly decrypt them
No background daemon that could be attacked
No risk of leaving vault "unlocked"

Can I change my password?¶

Not currently. To change password:

# 1. Extract all files
vaultix extract

# 2. Delete vault
rm -rf .vaultix

# 3. Re-initialize with new password
vaultix init

Technically yes, if they share the password. But this is not recommended:

Problems:

Everyone knows the password
Can't revoke access individually
No audit trail of who accessed what

Better alternatives:

Give each person their own vault copy
Use proper access control systems for teams
Consider enterprise encryption solutions for organizations

How do I organize multiple vaults?¶

~/vaults/
├── personal/       # Personal documents
├── work/           # Work files
├── financial/      # Tax documents
└── projects/
    ├── project_a/
    └── project_b/

Each vault can have a different password.

Why can't I extract files to a different directory?¶

By design, extract outputs to the current directory. This prevents accidentally extracting sensitive files to insecure locations.

Workaround:

# Extract in vault directory
cd ~/vault
vaultix extract file.txt

# Move to target location
mv file.txt ~/destination/

Can I encrypt a file without moving it to a vault directory?¶

No. Vaultix operates on directories, not individual files.

Alternative workflow:

# Create vault
mkdir ~/secure
cd ~/secure

# Copy file
cp ~/Documents/sensitive.pdf .

# Encrypt
vaultix init

Technical¶

What happens to my original files?¶

When you run vaultix init or add:

Original file is read
Encrypted copy is stored in .vaultix/objects/
Original file is securely deleted

The original is gone. Only the encrypted version remains.

Can I recover deleted files?¶

No. When vaultix deletes originals or when you use clear, files are securely overwritten.

But: If you have backups or disk snapshots, deleted files might be recoverable from there.

Why are encrypted filenames random?¶

.vaultix/objects/
├── 3f9a2c1d.enc
└── 91bd77aa.enc

This prevents information leakage. If filenames were preserved, an attacker could learn:

How many files you have
File sizes
File names (potentially sensitive)

Original filenames are encrypted in the metadata.

How much space does encryption add?¶

Minimal overhead:

~32 bytes per file (nonce + tag)
Small metadata file

A 1 MB file becomes approximately 1.000032 MB encrypted.

Can I encrypt very large files?¶

Currently, vaultix loads entire files into memory. This means:

100 MB file: Fine
1 GB file: Probably okay
10 GB file: May cause issues

Workaround for large files:

# Split large file
split -b 100M huge_file.bin chunk_

# Encrypt chunks
vaultix add chunk_*

# Later: extract and combine
vaultix extract
cat chunk_* > huge_file.bin

Does vaultix compress files?¶

No. Compression is not built-in.

To compress before encrypting:

tar czf archive.tar.gz my_files/
vaultix add archive.tar.gz

What's inside the `.vaultix` folder?¶

.vaultix/
├── salt           # Random salt for key derivation
├── meta           # Encrypted metadata (filenames, sizes)
├── config         # Vault configuration
└── objects/
    └── *.enc      # Encrypted file contents

Can I edit the `.vaultix` files manually?¶

Don't. Editing .vaultix contents will corrupt your vault.

If you need to modify files:

Extract file
Edit extracted copy
Add modified file back

Troubleshooting¶

"Password incorrect" but I know it's right¶

Possible causes:

Extra spaces in password
Caps Lock is on
Different keyboard layout
Typed too quickly (missed characters)

Solutions:

Type password in text editor first, then copy/paste
Try typing slowly and carefully
Check for Unicode characters (if you copy/pasted)

"Vault corrupted" error¶

Possible causes:

.vaultix folder was modified
Disk errors
Interrupted encryption process

Solutions:

Restore from backup
Run filesystem check (fsck, chkdsk)
If you have backups, restore the entire vault directory

"Out of memory" when adding large files¶

Your file is too large for available RAM.

Solutions:

Close other applications
Add more RAM
Split file into smaller chunks
Use a computer with more memory

Vaultix is slow on my vault¶

Large vaults (1000+ files) may be slow because:

Metadata must be decrypted for every operation
All filenames are searched for fuzzy matching

Solutions:

Split into multiple smaller vaults
Use exact filenames (faster than fuzzy)
Upgrade to faster storage (SSD)

Can't find vaultix command after installation¶

Check your $PATH:

# Linux/macOS
echo $PATH
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/bin"

# Windows
echo %PATH%
set PATH=%PATH%;C:\tools

Comparison¶

Vaultix vs. VeraCrypt?¶

VeraCrypt:

Creates encrypted container files
Mounts as virtual drive
OS-level encryption

Vaultix:

Encrypts individual files
CLI tool, no mounting
File-level encryption

Use VeraCrypt if you want drive-level encryption. Use vaultix if you want simple file encryption.

Vaultix vs. 7-Zip with password?¶

7-Zip:

Creates compressed archives
Encryption is weaker (AES-256 but with PBKDF2)
Requires extracting entire archive

Vaultix:

Individual file access
Stronger key derivation (Argon2id)
Extract only what you need

Use 7-Zip if you need compression + encryption for archival. Use vaultix if you need a working encrypted directory.

Vaultix vs. GPG?¶

GPG:

Industry standard
Public key cryptography
Complex to use

Vaultix:

Simple password-based
Easy to use
No key management

Use GPG if you need public key encryption or digital signatures. Use vaultix if you want simple password-based encryption.

Vaultix vs. BitLocker/FileVault?¶

BitLocker/FileVault:

Full-disk encryption
OS-integrated
Transparent to applications

Vaultix:

Directory-level
Cross-platform
Explicit encryption/decryption

Use BitLocker/FileVault as your base layer. Use vaultix for additional protection of specific directories.

Getting Help¶

Where can I report bugs?¶

GitHub Issues: https://github.com/zayan-mohamed/vaultix/issues

Please include:

Vaultix version (vaultix --version)
Operating system
Steps to reproduce
Error messages

Where can I request features?¶

GitHub Discussions: https://github.com/zayan-mohamed/vaultix/discussions

Is there a mailing list or chat?¶

Not yet. For now, use GitHub Discussions.

How can I contribute?¶

See contributing.md for details.

I found a security vulnerability!¶

Don't open a public issue.

Email maintainers directly (see SECURITY.md).

Frequently Asked Questions¶

General¶

What is vaultix?¶

Is vaultix free?¶

What platforms does vaultix support?¶

Is vaultix a password manager?¶

Can I use vaultix on multiple computers?¶

Security¶

How secure is vaultix?¶

Can anyone break the encryption?¶

What if I forget my password?¶

Can someone access my files if they steal my laptop?¶

Is the .vaultix folder hidden for security?¶

Can I safely upload encrypted vaults to cloud storage?¶

What if someone installs a keylogger?¶

Usage¶

Do I need to type my password every time?¶

Can I change my password?¶

Can multiple people share a vault?¶

How do I organize multiple vaults?¶

Why can't I extract files to a different directory?¶

Can I encrypt a file without moving it to a vault directory?¶

Technical¶

What happens to my original files?¶

Can I recover deleted files?¶

Why are encrypted filenames random?¶

How much space does encryption add?¶

Can I encrypt very large files?¶

Does vaultix compress files?¶

What's inside the .vaultix folder?¶

Can I edit the .vaultix files manually?¶

Troubleshooting¶

"Password incorrect" but I know it's right¶

"Vault corrupted" error¶

"Out of memory" when adding large files¶

Vaultix is slow on my vault¶

Can't find vaultix command after installation¶

Comparison¶

Vaultix vs. VeraCrypt?¶

Vaultix vs. 7-Zip with password?¶

Vaultix vs. GPG?¶

Vaultix vs. BitLocker/FileVault?¶

Getting Help¶

Where can I report bugs?¶

Where can I request features?¶

Is there a mailing list or chat?¶

How can I contribute?¶

I found a security vulnerability!¶

Other Questions¶

Why is it called "vaultix"?¶

Who maintains vaultix?¶

What's the project roadmap?¶

Can I use vaultix in commercial projects?¶

Does vaultix have telemetry or phone home?¶

Is vaultix audited?¶

Is the `.vaultix` folder hidden for security?¶

What's inside the `.vaultix` folder?¶

Can I edit the `.vaultix` files manually?¶