Tink

A multi-language, cross-platform library that provides cryptographic APIs that are secure, easy to use correctly, and hard(er) to misuse.

Ubuntu	macOS

Index

1. Introduction
2. Current status
3. Getting started
4. Learn more
5. Contact and mailing list
6. Maintainers

Introduction

Using crypto in your application shouldn't have to feel like juggling chainsaws in the dark. Tink is a crypto library written by a group of cryptographers and security engineers at Google. It was born out of our extensive experience working with Google's product teams, fixing weaknesses in implementations, and providing simple APIs that can be used safely without needing a crypto background.

Tink provides secure APIs that are easy to use correctly and hard(er) to misuse. It reduces common crypto pitfalls with user-centered design, careful implementation and code reviews, and extensive testing. At Google, Tink is one of the standard crypto libraries, and has been deployed in hundreds of products and systems.

To get a quick overview of Tink design please take a look at slides from a talk about Tink presented at Real World Crypto 2019.

Current status

Java/Android, C++, Obj-C, Go, and Python are field tested and ready for production. The latest version is 1.5.0, released on 2020-10-13.

Javascript/Typescript is in an alpha state, should only be used for testing. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Getting started

As a starting point, the examples demonstrate performing simple tasks using Tink in a variety of languages.

• Python

pip3 install tink

• Golang

go get github.com/google/tink/go/...

• Java

<dependency>
  <groupId>com.google.crypto.tink</groupId>
  <artifactId>tink</artifactId>
  <version>1.5.0</version>
</dependency>

• Android

dependencies {
  implementation 'com.google.crypto.tink:tink-android:1.5.0'
}

• Objective-C/iOS

cd /path/to/your/Xcode project/
pod init
pod 'Tink', '1.5.0'
pod install

Learn more

• Java HOW-TO
• Javascript/Typescript HOW-TO
• C++ HOW-TO
• Obj-C HOW-TO
• Go HOW-TO
• Python HOW-TO
• Security and Usability Design Goals
• Supported Crypto Primitives
• Key Management
• Managing keys with Tinkey
• Known Issues
• Feature Roadmap

Community-driven ports

Out of the box Tink supports a wide range of languages, but it still doesn't support every language. Fortunately, some users like Tink so much that they've ported it to their favorite languages! Below you can find notable ports.

WARNING While we usually review these ports, until further notice, we do not maintain them and have no plan to support them in the foreseeable future.

• Clojure

Contact and mailing list

If you want to contribute, please read CONTRIBUTING and send us pull requests. You can also report bugs or file feature requests.

If you'd like to talk to the developers or get notified about major product updates, you may want to subscribe to our mailing list.

Maintainers

Tink is maintained by (A-Z):

• Taymon Beal
• Daniel Bleichenbacher
• Thai Duong
• Thomas Holenstein
• Stefan Kölbl
• Charles Lee
• Sophie Schmieg
• Jürg Wullschleger

Alumni

• Haris Andrianakis
• Tanuj Dhir
• Quan Nguyen
• Bartosz Przydatek
• Enzo Puig
• Veronika Slívová
• Paula Vidas