Rust Secure Transport Format

RSTF is a high-performance file archiving utility built in Rust, prioritizing data security through modern encryption and efficient compression. It leverages cutting-edge cryptographic standards to safeguard files against emerging threats.

--> Free and Open Source Software <--

Why RSTF?

Conventional archiving tools often employ outdated security measures vulnerable to contemporary attacks. RSTF stands out by integrating robust, forward-looking cryptography.

Feature	RSTF (This Tool)	7-Zip	ZIP
Encryption	XChaCha20-Poly1305 (IETF Standard)	AES-256	AES / ZipCrypto
Key Derivation	Argon2id (Memory-Hard)	PBKDF2 (Susceptible to GPU Attacks)	None / Weak
Metadata	Fully Encrypted	Visible (Optional Encryption)	Visible
Compression	Zstd (Multithreaded)	LZMA (Resource-Intensive)	Deflate
Keyfile Support	Native	No	No

Installation

Android (Termux) Users

No root privileges required. Install the pre-compiled binary directly (choose based on your device architecture)

A. For ARM64 devices (most Android phones):

wget https://github.com/dogesenic/rstf/releases/latest/download/rstf-android-arm64 -O $PREFIX/bin/rstf

chmod +x $PREFIX/bin/rstf

rstf --version

rstf --help

B. For x86_64 emulators (if using Android emulator):

wget https://github.com/dogesenic/rstf/releases/latest/download/rstf-android-x86_64 -O $PREFIX/bin/rstf

chmod +x $PREFIX/bin/rstf

rstf --version

rstf --help

Linux Users

Install system-wide (choose based on your architecture for best compatibility)

A. For x86_64 systems (most common):

sudo wget https://github.com/dogesenic/rstf/releases/latest/download/rstf-linux-amd64 -O /usr/local/bin/rstf

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/rstf

rstf --version

B. For ARM64 systems (e.g., Raspberry Pi or ARM servers):

sudo wget https://github.com/dogesenic/rstf/releases/latest/download/rstf-linux-arm64 -O /usr/local/bin/rstf

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/rstf

rstf --version

C. For static musl versions (no dependencies, portable):

sudo wget https://github.com/dogesenic/rstf/releases/latest/download/rstf-linux-amd64-musl -O /usr/local/bin/rstf

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/rstf

rstf --version

rstf --help

MacOS Users

Compatible with Intel and Apple Silicon (choose based on your chip)

A. For Intel Macs (x86_64):

sudo wget https://github.com/dogesenic/rstf/releases/latest/download/rstf-macos-amd64 -O /usr/local/bin/rstf

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/rstf

rstf --version

B. For Apple Silicon (ARM64, M1/M2 chips):

sudo wget https://github.com/dogesenic/rstf/releases/latest/download/rstf-macos-arm64 -O /usr/local/bin/rstf

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/rstf

rstf --version

rstf --help

Windows Users

Download the appropriate .exe from the Release Page (MSVC recommended for compatibility, GNU as alternative).
Open Command Prompt or PowerShell in the download folder.
Run: .\rstf-windows-amd64.exe --help (or .\rstf-windows-amd64-gnu.exe --help for GNU version). (Optional: Add the folder to your PATH for easier access).

Usage Guide

1. Pack (Encrypt & Compress) Securely archive files or directories.

Basic usage (Prompts for password securely):

rstf pack sensitive_data

Advanced Mode (Maximum compression + Keyfile + Wipe originals):

rstf pack ./important_file.py --level 22 --wipe -k ./key_image.jpg

Note: The --wipe flag securely deletes source files after successful archiving.

2. Unpack (Decrypt & Extract) Restore archived data. Provide the password (and keyfile if used).

Basic unpack:

rstf unpack ./sensitive_data.rstf

Unpack with Keyfile:

rstf unpack important_file.rstf -k ./key_image.jpg

3. List Contents View archive contents without extraction. Credentials are needed since metadata is encrypted.

rstf list backup.rstf

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! RSTF is an open-source project, and your input helps improve security, performance, and usability. Here's how to get involved:

Ways to Contribute

Report Issues: Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub.
Submit Pull Requests: Fork the repo, make changes, and submit a PRequest. We follow standard Rust practices (e.g., cargo fmt, cargo clippy).
Improve Documentation: Help translate or enhance this README, or add examples.
Test on New Platforms: Try RSTF on untested devices and share feedback.

Development Setup

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/dogesenic/rstf.git

cd rstf

Install Rust (if not already):

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Build and test:

cargo build --release

cargo test

Run the CI locally (optional): Use GitHub Actions or tools like cross for cross-platform testing.

Guidelines

Follow the Rust Code of Conduct.
Ensure all changes pass tests and are well-documented.
For security-related changes, discuss in issues first.

Thank you for contributing to RSTF!

Technical Details

RSTF implements an Encrypt-then-MAC approach using modern cryptographic primitives:

Compression: Zstd (Levels 1-22). Processes data in 64KB chunks for efficient memory use.
KDF (Key Derivation): Argon2id (Version 19). Increases resistance to brute-force by demanding high computational and memory resources, countering GPU clusters.
Encryption: XChaCha20-Poly1305. A performant authenticated stream cipher.
Randomness: Relies on the OS's cryptographically secure random number generator (via the rand crate) for salts and nonces.

Important Security Notice

This software contains no backdoors. Loss of your password or keyfile will make data irrecoverable. RSTF's cryptography is designed to resist brute-force attacks. Always secure backups and use strong, unique passwords.

Author

William Nathanael (@dogesenic)

Note on Project Migration: This repository is the official and current home of the rstf-rust project. Development has been migrated to this account (@dogesenic) following access issues with the previous legacy profile (@warchs).

All future updates, security patches, and releases will be published here.

Acknowledgments

A big thank you to the Rust programming language and its incredible community for providing a safe, fast, and productive ecosystem that made RSTF possible. Special thanks to the developers and maintainers of key crates that power RSTF:

Zstd (compression library) for efficient, multithreaded data compression.
Argon2 (for Argon2id KDF) for robust password hashing against brute-force attacks.
ChaCha20-Poly1305 (via RustCrypto) for secure, authenticated encryption.
Rand for cryptographically secure random number generation.
And the broader open-source community for tools like cross for cross-compilation and GitHub Actions for CI/CD.

Your contributions keep the Rust ecosystem thriving—thank you! If you've contributed or inspired this project, feel free to reach out. Acknowledgments

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License see the LICENSE file for details.

NAME

SYNOPSIS

INFO

DESCRIPTION

README