Cleaver

Cleaver is a small web app for encrypting and decrypting files in the browser. A single Go binary serves the bundled UI assets from public/, so the app can be copied and run without a separate static file directory.

How It Works

1. Open Cleaver in a browser.
2. Choose a file on the Encrypt page.
3. Enter a numeric PIN.
4. Download the encrypted .lock file and its single .bundle file.
5. To decrypt, choose the .lock file, enter the same PIN, and provide the bundle.

The bundle contains randomly ordered key records with opaque random identifiers instead of numbered shard files. CSV lock files can also be opened on the Edit lock file page. After the PIN and bundle are verified, export only a new .lock file that uses the same credentials and bundle.

Cleaver cannot recover a lost PIN, missing bundle, or corrupted lock file.

Build

go test ./...
go build -o cleaver .

The binary includes the contents of public/ through Go embed.

Run

Initialize local configuration and SQLite storage first:

./cleaver init

This creates ./config/.env and ./data/main.sqlite. The generated env file contains a placeholder admin account:

ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
ADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me-now
SESSION_SECRET=<generated-secret>
DB_PATH=../data/main.sqlite

Change ADMIN_PASSWORD before any real deployment.

./cleaver

When running Cleaver on the same computer as the browser, open http://localhost:5544. Browsers allow Web Crypto on localhost.

By default, Cleaver listens on 0.0.0.0:5544, which is suitable for a container or server behind a reverse proxy. If you access it through a hostname or another computer, the reverse proxy must serve Cleaver over HTTPS; browsers disable Web Crypto on insecure HTTP pages.

To expose a different address:

./cleaver -addr 127.0.0.1:5544

Admin Portal

Public Cleaver pages remain available at /. The admin portal is available directly at /login and redirects protected admin routes to login when there is no valid signed session.

After login, open /admin to upload a CSV. Each upload returns a downloadable .lock file, a downloadable backup .key file, and an unguessable public unlock link. Cleaver never stores the uploaded CSV or any lock file. Keys are persisted in SQLite and remain downloadable from the key registry. The public link lets someone upload the matching lock, unlock it with its PIN, edit it, and download it again without logging in. The public decrypt page also accepts the downloaded .key backup alongside its .lock file, so the pair remains usable even if the saved portal key is unavailable.

Failed admin logins are tracked in SQLite by client IP for 24 hours. Five recent failures returns HTTP 403. Failed admin bundle/PIN unlock attempts use a separate SQLite ledger with the same 24-hour, five-failure rule.