libsodium

libsodium is a portable, cross-compilable software library providing a wide range of cryptographic operations. It is a fork of NaCl that maintains API compatibility while extending functionality to improve usability and simplify secure application development.

Core Capabilities:

• Encryption & Decryption: Securely encrypt and decrypt data using modern algorithms.
• Digital Signatures: Create and verify signatures to ensure data authenticity.
• Secure Password Hashing: Protect user credentials using modern hashing techniques.

libsodium uses a two-tier release system to manage updates and security:

• Point releases (e.g., 1.0.19, 1.0.20): Tagged when new features are added or significant changes occur.
• Stable releases: Frequent maintenance updates between point releases. These fix minor issues and security vulnerabilities without introducing new features or breaking changes.

Best Practice: If your application depends on a specific point release, applying stable updates is safe as they remain fully compatible with their parent point release.

For detailed instructions on setting up and using the library, refer to the official documentation links:

• Installation: https://doc.libsodium.org/installation
• Quickstart: https://doc.libsodium.org/quickstart
• Full Documentation: https://doc.libsodium.org
• Releases: https://download.libsodium.org/libsodium/releases/
• Integrity Checking: https://doc.libsodium.org/installation#integrity-checking

When inspecting the compiled libsodium DLLs on Windows, the resource metadata provides the following versioning and product details:

• FileDescription: The Sodium crypto library (libsodium)
• FileVersion: The current version string (e.g., 1.0.23.0)
• InternalName: libsodium
• OriginalFilename: libsodium.dll
• ProductName: Varies by architecture:
  • libsodium (x64) for x64 builds
  • libsodium (x86) for Win32 builds
  • libsodium (arm64) for ARM64 builds
  • libsodium for other platforms
• LegalCopyright: Copyright (c) 2013-2024 The libsodium authors.