# aries-askar

**Repository Path**: hyperledger/aries-askar

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: aries-askar
- **Description**: Secure storage designed for Hyperledger Aries agents.
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: MIT
- **Default Branch**: main
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2021-07-27
- **Last Updated**: 2025-06-15

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

# askar

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Askar is a secure (encrypted at rest) storage and a key management service
suitable for use with [Hyperledger Aries] agents and other digital trust
agents. Askar is a replacement implementation (with lessons learned!) of the
[indy-wallet] part of the [Hyperledger Indy SDK]. Askar has been demonstrated to
be more performant and stable than the Indy SDK when under comparable load.

Askar has a pluggable storage interface that currently supports [SQLite] and
[PostgreSQL] databases. For details about the storage scheme used in Askar, please
see this [storage] overview in the `docs` folder.

Askar is implemented in Rust, with a C-compatible foreign function interface. This
repository contains an additional Askar wrapper for Python. Wrappers for Javascript
and React Native are located in the [askar-wrapper-javascript repository](https://github.com/openwallet-foundation/askar-wrapper-javascript).
These wrappers are used by the [ACA-Py] and [Credo] frameworks respectively. Other
wrappers are welcome.

The name Askar (from the Arabic askar, meaning "guard" or "soldier") is used
because of the "guard" reference, and because it is an alternate name for the
star [Hamal in the constellation of Aries], the 50th brightest star in our sky.

[Hyperledger Aries]: https://www.hyperledger.org/projects/aries
[indy-wallet]: https://github.com/hyperledger/indy-sdk/tree/main/libindy/indy-wallet
[Hyperledger Indy SDK]: https://github.com/hyperledger/indy-sdk
[SQLite]: https://www.sqlite.org/index.html
[PostgreSQL]: https://www.postgresql.org/
[storage]: /docs/storage.md
[Aries Framework JavaScript]: https://github.com/hyperledger/aries-framework-javascript
[ACA-Py]: https://github.com/openwallet-foundation/acapy
[Credo]: https://github.com/openwallet-foundation/credo-ts
[Hamal in the constellation of Aries]: https://www.star-facts.com/hamal/

## Askar Concepts Borrowed from the indy-wallet Implementation

As noted above, Askar is a re-implementation (with lessons learned!) of the
[indy-wallet] part of the [Hyperledger Indy SDK]. As such, a number of the
concept documents written about [indy-wallet] apply similarly to Askar. These
are linked here:

- [Encryption and storage passphrases](https://github.com/hyperledger/indy-sdk/blob/main/docs/concepts/default-wallet.md)
- [Object Storage](https://github.com/hyperledger/indy-sdk/blob/main/docs/design/003-wallet-storage/README.md)
- [Storage Import/Export](https://github.com/hyperledger/indy-sdk/blob/main/docs/design/009-wallet-export-import/README.md)

> **To Do**: These documents should be copied to this repository and updated
> specifically for the Askar implementation.

## Migrating to Aries Askar

If you have an implementation of Aries that is currently based on the
[Hyperledger Indy SDK], there are migration tools built into Askar. The use of these
tools is demonstrated in the [ACA-Py] migration tool that can be found in the
[acapy-tools] repository.

[acapy-tools]: https://github.com/openwallet-foundation/acapy-tools

## Credit

The initial implementation of `askar` was developed by the Digital Trust
team within the Province of British Columbia, and inspired by the wallet design
within [Hyperledger Indy SDK]. To learn more about BC's Digital Trust Team, and
what's happening with decentralized identity in British Columbia, please go to
[Digital Trust website](https://digital.gov.bc.ca/digital-trust/).

## Contributing

Pull requests are welcome! Please read our [contributions guide](https://github.com/openwallet-foundation/askar/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) and submit your PRs. We enforce [developer certificate of origin](https://developercertificate.org/) (DCO) commit signing. See guidance [here](https://github.com/apps/dco).

We also welcome issues submitted about problems you encounter in using `askar`.

## License

Licensed under either of

- Apache License, Version 2.0
  ([LICENSE-APACHE](https://github.com/openwallet-foundation/askar/blob/main/LICENSE-APACHE)
  or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
- MIT license
  ([LICENSE-MIT](https://github.com/openwallet-foundation/askar/blob/main/LICENSE-MIT)
  or [https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT))

at your option.