How to use the command 'rage' (with examples)

Rage is a simple, secure, and modern file encryption tool that allows users to encrypt and decrypt files with small explicit keys, no configuration options, and UNIX-style composability. It is a Rust implementation of the age encryption tool.

Use case 1: Encrypt a file for user and save it to message.age

Code:

echo "Your secret message" | rage --encrypt --recipient user --output path/to/message.age

Motivation: You may want to encrypt a sensitive file so that only a specific user can decrypt it. By using the rage command, you can easily encrypt the file and save it with the .age extension, ensuring that it can only be decrypted by the intended recipient.

Explanation:

• echo "Your secret message": This command outputs the content of the file you want to encrypt. Replace "Your secret message" with the actual content of your file.
• rage --encrypt: This flag tells the rage command to encrypt the input.
• --recipient user: This option specifies the recipient of the encrypted file. Replace user with the actual recipient’s name.
• --output path/to/message.age: This option sets the output file path for the encrypted file. Replace path/to/message.age with the desired file path.

Example output: The file containing the encrypted message will be saved as message.age in the specified path.

Use case 2: Decrypt a file with identity_file and save it to message

Code:

rage --decrypt --identity path/to/identity_file --output message

Motivation: You may have received an encrypted file and need to decrypt it using your private key. By using the rage command, you can easily decrypt the file and save it to a readable format.

Explanation:

• rage --decrypt: This flag tells the rage command to decrypt the input.
• --identity path/to/identity_file: This option specifies the path to the identity file containing your private key. Replace path/to/identity_file with the actual file path.
• --output message: This option sets the output file name for the decrypted file. Replace message with the desired file name.

Example output: The decrypted content of the file will be saved as message in the current directory.

Conclusion:

The rage command provides a simple and secure way to encrypt and decrypt files using small explicit keys. By following the examples provided, users can easily encrypt files for specific recipients and decrypt encrypted files using their private keys.