Make a query over encrypted field

[nairdaus]

Hello, I'm using your library django encrypted fields and I have a problem when I make a query on the encrypted field. I'm using myModel.objects.filter(names__istartswith = mysearch) and django shows me the result decrypted, but the search is done over the encrypted text, for example: I search names with "A" and it shows me: Roberto... because its encrypted value is AB59cOgUT1lf.............. on my database.

Is there any command I can use to solve this issue? or any way you can suggest me so I can decrypt the field before doing the search?

[defrex]

Unfortunately what you're asking for is impossible. The decryption is done in the application layer, and the query is running in the DB layer.

Django simply turns MyModel.objects.filter(names__startswith='mysearch') into a SQL query roughly like SELECT * from myapp_mymodel where names LIKE 'mysearch%';.

You either have to live without querying, or store the data unencrypted.

[rriehle]

As @defrex has said, once data is encrypted what you're asking of the database is impossible. A work around is to load required fields into data structures at the application layer and then to run queries across those data structures. At that point "running queries" involves Python, not SQL or the Django ORM.