SARE Core

SARE CORE IS A LOW-LEVEL CRYPTOGRAPHIC ENGINE. USE WITH CAUTION.
This library forms the backbone of the SARE ecosystem. It provides the essential cryptographic primitives, engines, and formats upon which the high-level library, sare-lib, is built.

SARE Core is not intended for direct use in applications unless you are building specialized extensions or experimenting with alternative implementations. Most developers will interact exclusively with sare-lib, which exposes the functionality in a safe, modular, and user-friendly manner.

Purpose

SARE Core exists to:

• Provide low-level cryptographic engines for encryption, decryption, and signing

• Implement file and key format standards that are tightly integrated into all SARE components

• Support hybrid post-quantum algorithms for both KEM and signature systems

• Handle seed generation and subkey derivation for HybridKEM and HybridSign

• Expose KDF engines for password-based symmetric encryption and other derivations

The separation between core and lib allows SARE to evolve. Underlying engines or algorithms can be swapped, upgraded, or replaced without breaking high-level usage in sare-lib, ensuring longevity and adaptability of the ecosystem.

Who Should Use SARE Core

SARE Core is primarily for:

• Library developers creating new versions or custom forks of SARE

• Advanced users who need direct access to cryptographic engines

• Researchers or implementers experimenting with alternative or future-proof algorithms

Warning: SARE Core is a low-level library. Misuse can compromise security. Only use it if you understand cryptography deeply and the potential risks of modifying or bypassing high-level abstractions.

Relationship with SARE Lib

• sare-lib: High-level library for building applications and tools using the SARE standard. It relies heavily on SARE Core but abstracts away the complexity. Most developers only interact with this.

• sare-core: Provides the engines and formats underneath. It's fully modular, enabling algorithm swaps and upgrades without requiring changes in sare-lib.

File formatting, key management, hybrid algorithms, and KDF engines exist in SARE Core but are publicly exported in sare-lib for developers, so building applications using SARE is straightforward.

Essentially, if you’re building apps, you mostly deal with sare-lib. If you’re innovating or extending the cryptography itself, you dig into sare-core.

Modularity & Adaptability

SARE Core is designed with modularity in mind:

• Swap out encryption or signing implementations if a library is abandoned or replaced

• Integrate new KDFs, hybrid KEMs, or signature schemes with minimal changes to high-level code

• Experiment safely without breaking the SARE standard or applications built on top of it

Security

• SARE Core uses audited and standardized algorithms at the lowest level

• It is intended to be a cryptographic engine, not a finished application interface

• Direct use requires extreme caution, as errors can compromise security

Support

If you want to help SARE grow, the best way is financially. Please check out our donation page: https://sareproject.github.com/docs/support

But a share on social media, a star on our GitHub repo, or even a simple supporting message is enough motivation for us to keep going.

License

SARE CLI is released under a combination of the MIT License and the Apache License.