Implement robust data security without sacrificing performance or usability
Protect.php brings field-level encryption to your PHP applications. Store encrypted data in any JSONB-compatible database while maintaining searchability on PostgreSQL. Encryption happens directly in your application using a unique key for each value, managed by CipherStash ZeroKMS and backed by AWS KMS.
Install Protect.php via Composer:
composer require cipherstash/protectphp
- PHP 8.1 or higher
Before using Protect.php, you must configure your CipherStash credentials. Set these environment variables in your application:
CS_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
CS_CLIENT_ACCESS_KEY=your-client-access-key
CS_CLIENT_KEY=your-client-key
CS_WORKSPACE_CRN=your-workspace-crn
Credentials can be generated by logging in or signing up for CipherStash and setting up a new workspace via the CipherStash CLI or CipherStash Dashboard.
Encrypt and decrypt data with just a few lines of code:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';
$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted); // john@example.com
- Laravel (coming soon)
Protect.php works with any database that supports JSONB storage. The encrypted data is structured as an Encrypt Query Language (EQL) JSON payload.
For advanced querying capabilities (searching, sorting, filtering), you'll need PostgreSQL with the EQL extension. EQL provides the eql_v2_encrypted
type:
CREATE TABLE users (
id BIGINT GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY PRIMARY KEY,
email eql_v2_encrypted,
name eql_v2_encrypted,
balance eql_v2_encrypted,
notes eql_v2_encrypted,
contact eql_v2_encrypted,
CONSTRAINT unique_email UNIQUE ((email->>'hm')) -- Enforce unique emails
);
See the EQL installation instructions to get started.
Encrypt values for specific table columns using the Protect::encrypt()
method. This method accepts the field name in dot notation, value, and optional configuration:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';
$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value);
The Protect::encrypt()
method automatically handles data type conversion and applies sensible default indexes based on the PHP data type. You can customize the data type and indexing behavior by providing configuration options:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';
$options = [
'cast_as' => 'string',
'indexes' => [
'unique' => [],
'ore' => [],
'match' => [],
],
];
$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value, $options);
Decrypt an encrypted envelope back to its original value using the Protect::decrypt()
method. This method accepts the encrypted envelope array returned from encryption and optional configuration:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';
$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted); // john@example.com
The Protect::decrypt()
method automatically converts the decrypted data back to the original PHP data type. You can customize the data type conversion by providing configuration options:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$field = 'users.balance';
$value = 1575000;
$options = [
'cast_as' => 'string',
];
$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted, $options); // "1575000"
For improved performance when handling multiple records, use bulk encryption and decryption operations.
Encrypt multiple values using the Protect::encryptAttributes()
method. This method accepts the table name and an associative array of column names and values:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$attributes = [
'email' => 'john@example.com',
'name' => 'John Doe',
'balance' => 1575000,
'notes' => 'Account flagged for fraud monitoring after suspicious transaction pattern detected. Customer disputed charges on 2007-07-27. Priority support required for high-value client.',
'contact' => [
'phone' => '15551234567',
'mailing_address' => [
'street' => '742 Evergreen Terrace',
'city' => 'Springfield',
'state' => 'OR',
'zip' => '97403',
],
],
];
$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes);
The Protect::encryptAttributes()
method automatically handles data type conversion and applies sensible default indexes based on the PHP data type for each column. You can provide per-column configuration options:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$attributes = [
'email' => 'john@example.com',
'name' => 'John Doe',
'balance' => 1575000,
'notes' => 'Account flagged for fraud monitoring after suspicious transaction pattern detected. Customer disputed charges on 2007-07-27. Priority support required for high-value client.',
'contact' => [
'phone' => '15551234567',
'mailing_address' => [
'street' => '742 Evergreen Terrace',
'city' => 'Springfield',
'state' => 'OR',
'zip' => '97403',
],
],
];
$options = [
'email' => [
'indexes' => [
'unique' => [],
'ore' => [],
'match' => [],
],
],
'name' => [
'indexes' => [
'unique' => [],
'ore' => [],
'match' => [],
],
],
'notes' => [
'indexes' => [
'match' => [],
],
],
];
$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes, $options);
Decrypt multiple encrypted envelopes using the Protect::decryptAttributes()
method. This method accepts the table name and an associative array of column names and their corresponding encrypted envelopes:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$attributes = [
'email' => 'john@example.com',
'name' => 'John Doe',
'balance' => 1575000,
'notes' => 'Account flagged for fraud monitoring after suspicious transaction pattern detected. Customer disputed charges on 2007-07-27. Priority support required for high-value client.',
'contact' => [
'phone' => '15551234567',
'mailing_address' => [
'street' => '742 Evergreen Terrace',
'city' => 'Springfield',
'state' => 'OR',
'zip' => '97403',
],
],
];
$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes);
$decrypted = Protect::decryptAttributes('users', $encrypted);
The Protect::decryptAttributes()
method automatically converts the decrypted data back to the original PHP data types. You can customize the data type conversion by providing per-column configuration options:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$attributes = [
'email' => 'john@example.com',
'name' => 'John Doe',
'balance' => 1575000,
'notes' => 'Account flagged for fraud monitoring after suspicious transaction pattern detected. Customer disputed charges on 2007-07-27. Priority support required for high-value client.',
'contact' => [
'phone' => '15551234567',
'mailing_address' => [
'street' => '742 Evergreen Terrace',
'city' => 'Springfield',
'state' => 'OR',
'zip' => '97403',
],
],
];
$options = [
'balance' => [
'cast_as' => 'string',
],
];
$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decryptAttributes('users', $encrypted, $options);
Create search terms that enable querying encrypted data without decryption using the Protect::createSearchTerms()
method. This method accepts an associative array where keys are field names in dot notation and values are the data to search:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$fields = [
'users.email' => 'john@example.com',
'users.balance' => 1575000,
];
$searchTerms = Protect::createSearchTerms($fields);
The Protect::createSearchTerms()
method automatically applies sensible default indexes based on the PHP data types, ensuring search terms match the indexes used for encrypted data with the same defaults. You can provide per-field configuration options:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$fields = [
'users.email' => 'john@example.com',
'users.balance' => 1575000,
];
$options = [
'users.email' => [
'indexes' => [
'unique' => [],
'ore' => [],
'match' => [],
],
],
];
$searchTerms = Protect::createSearchTerms($fields, $options);
This feature integrates with EQL and is currently only supported on PostgreSQL databases.
These examples demonstrate how to use search terms with PostgreSQL and EQL for querying encrypted data without decryption. Each query uses the complete search terms object, and EQL automatically selects the appropriate index for the query operation.
For exact equality queries, EQL uses the unique
index (hm
response parameter) from your search terms:
-- Find user record by email address
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE email = '{"hm":"f3ca71fd39ae9d3d1d1fc25141bcb6da...","ob":["57e58bb3ebd195a5cdd5b77902732a6a..."],"bf":[1124,2134,987,1456,743,2201],"i":{"t":"users","c":"email"}}'::jsonb;
For equality, range comparisons, and sorting, EQL uses the ore
index (ob
response parameter) from your search terms:
-- Find users with exact balance amount
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE balance = '{"hm":null,"ob":["99f7adadadadadadc68b2822197a849e..."],"bf":null,"i":{"t":"users","c":"balance"}}'::jsonb;
-- Find users above specified balance
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE balance >= '{"hm":null,"ob":["99f7adadadadadadc68b2822197a849e..."],"bf":null,"i":{"t":"users","c":"balance"}}'::jsonb;
-- Find users with balance in specified range
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE balance BETWEEN
'{"hm":null,"ob":["99f7adadadadadadc68b2822197a849e..."],"bf":null,"i":{"t":"users","c":"balance"}}'::jsonb
AND '{"hm":null,"ob":["99f7adadadadadadc68b2822197a849e..."],"bf":null,"i":{"t":"users","c":"balance"}}'::jsonb;
-- Order users by balance from lowest to highest
SELECT * FROM users
ORDER BY balance ASC;
-- Order users by balance from highest to lowest
SELECT * FROM users
ORDER BY balance DESC;
For searching within text content, EQL uses the match
index (bf
response parameter) from your search terms:
-- Find users with notes containing specified terms
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE notes LIKE '{"hm":null,"ob":null,"bf":[1397,378,1463,1673,1474,1226],"i":{"t":"users","c":"notes"}}'::jsonb;
For structured data queries, EQL uses the ste_vec
index (sv
response parameter) from your search terms:
-- Find users where contact contains specified values
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE contact @> '{"sv":[{"s":"dd4659b9c279af040dd05ce21b2a22f7...","t":"22303061363334333330316661653633...","r":"mBbL}QHJ&a(@rwS5n)u^G+Fb+t}Soo-h...","pa":false}],"i":{"t":"users","c":"contact"}}'::jsonb;
-- Find users where contact is contained by specified values
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE contact <@ '{"sv":[{"s":"df08a4c4157bdb5bf6fa9be89cf18d10...","t":"22303063343133306135646334356130...","r":"mBbL}QHJ&a(@rwS5n)u^G+Fb+Ex8ofB!...","pa":false}],"i":{"t":"users","c":"contact"}}'::jsonb;
The Protect.php library provides configuration options to customize encryption behavior, indexing strategies, and contextual security. Each method supports the following options:
Option | Type | Default | Description | Protect::encrypt() |
Protect::decrypt() |
Protect::encryptAttributes() |
Protect::decryptAttributes() |
Protect::createSearchTerms() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cast_as |
string |
Auto-detected | Override auto-detected PHP data type | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ |
indexes |
array |
Type-based | Configure query capabilities | âś“ | âś— | âś“ | âś— | âś“ |
context |
array|null |
null |
Bind encryption to specific context | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ |
skip |
boolean |
false |
Skip processing for specific columns | âś— | âś— | âś“ | âś“ | âś— |
Options not supported by a specific method are silently ignored, allowing you to use the same configuration across different operations.
The cast_as
parameter determines how data is processed and converted during encryption and decryption. In most cases, you can rely on automatic type detection, but you can specify the PHP data type when needed:
Type | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
string |
Text data supporting exact matching and full-text search capabilities | john@example.com |
bool |
Binary state values for exact equality queries only | true or false |
int |
Whole numbers enabling range queries and mathematical ordering | 2147483647 |
float |
Decimal values supporting precise range and ordering operations | 25.99 |
date |
Temporal data enabling date range queries and chronological sorting | new DateTime('2020-11-10') |
array |
Structured data supporting containment and relationship queries | ['foo', 'bar'] |
Basic usage:
$options = [
'cast_as' => 'string',
];
The indexes
parameter determines what queries are supported on encrypted data:
Index Type | Description | Applied by Default | Response Parameter | Supported Queries |
---|---|---|---|---|
unique |
Exact equality queries and uniqueness constraints | string , bool |
hm |
= |
ore |
Equality, range comparisons, range queries, and ordering | string , int , float , date |
ob |
= , > , < , BETWEEN , ORDER BY |
match |
Full-text search queries | - | bf |
LIKE |
ste_vec |
JSONB containment queries | - | sv |
@> , <@ |
Enables exact equality queries and database uniqueness constraints. Uses the hm
response parameter to generate HMAC-based hashes for exact equality matching.
Basic usage:
$options = [
'indexes' => [
'unique' => [], // Uses defaults
],
];
Configuration parameters:
Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
token_filters |
array |
âś— | [] |
Text processing filters applied before hashing |
token_filters[].kind |
string |
âś— | - | Filter type: downcase to convert to lowercase |
With custom parameters:
$options = [
'indexes' => [
'unique' => [
'token_filters' => [
['kind' => 'downcase'],
],
],
],
];
For database-level uniqueness constraints, add a unique constraint on the hm
response parameter:
CONSTRAINT unique_email UNIQUE ((email->>'hm'))
Enables equality, range operations, and ordering on encrypted data. Uses the ob
response parameter to create order-preserving encrypted values for equality checks, range comparisons, and sorting operations.
Basic usage:
$options = [
'indexes' => [
'ore' => [],
],
];
This index type has no configurable parameters.
Enables full-text search on encrypted text data using bloom filters. Uses the bf
response parameter to create bloom filter representations of tokenized text for probabilistic matching.
Basic usage:
$options = [
'indexes' => [
'match' => [], // Uses defaults
],
];
Configuration parameters:
Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
tokenizer |
object |
âś— | ['kind' => 'standard'] |
Text tokenization method |
tokenizer.kind |
string |
âś— | standard |
Tokenizer type: standard or ngram |
tokenizer.token_length |
integer |
âś— | 3 |
Token length for ngram tokenizer |
token_filters |
array |
âś— | [] |
Text processing filters |
token_filters[].kind |
string |
âś— | - | Filter type: downcase |
k |
integer |
âś— | 6 |
Hash function count for bloom filter |
m |
integer |
âś— | 2048 |
Bloom filter size in bits |
include_original |
boolean |
âś— | false |
Include original text in search results |
With custom parameters:
$options = [
'indexes' => [
'match' => [
'tokenizer' => [
'kind' => 'ngram',
'token_length' => 3,
],
'token_filters' => [
['kind' => 'downcase'],
],
'k' => 8,
'm' => 1024,
'include_original' => true,
],
],
];
Enables containment queries on encrypted JSONB data. Uses the sv
response parameter to create structured text encryption vectors that preserve JSON path relationships for encrypted JSONB containment matching.
Basic usage:
$options = [
'indexes' => [
'ste_vec' => [
'prefix' => 'users.contact',
],
],
];
Configuration parameters:
Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
prefix |
string |
âś“ | - | Domain separator for cryptographic hashing that must be unique per column (recommended format is table.column ) |
Provide additional encryption context for an additional layer of security by binding encrypted data to specific contextual information of your choosing. This prevents data encrypted with one context from being decrypted with a different context, even when using the same encryption keys.
The context
parameter determines what contextual authentication is supported:
Context Type | Description | Supported Index Types |
---|---|---|
identity_claim |
Identity-aware encryption using JWT claims (requires CTS authentication) | unique , ore , match |
tag |
Label-aware encryption using string tags | unique , ore , match |
value |
Attribute-aware encryption using key-value pairs | unique , ore , match |
Important
Encryption context is not supported with ste_vec
indexes and will cause decryption to fail.
Identity claim context binds encrypted data to specific user identities using JWT claims. This enables identity-aware encryption where data can only be decrypted by authenticated users who match the identity criteria.
Identity claim context requires CipherStash Token Service (CTS) authentication for both encryption and decryption operations.
Note
While identity claim context is supported by passing JWT claims in the context.identity_claim
parameter, automatic CTS authentication is not yet implemented. This means you'll need to manually obtain CTS tokens by calling the CTS API directly. If automatic CTS integration would be valuable for your use case, please open an issue and let us know. Community feedback helps us prioritize new features.
Tag context binds encrypted data to specific string labels. This enables label-aware encryption where data can only be decrypted when the same tag context is provided:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';
$options = [
'context' => [
'tag' => ['pii'],
],
];
$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted, $options); // john@example.com
Value context binds encrypted data to specific key-value pairs. This enables attribute-aware encryption where data can only be decrypted when the same value context is provided:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';
$options = [
'context' => [
'value' => [
['key' => 'tenant_id', 'value' => 'tenant_2ynTJf38e9HvuAO8jaX5kAyVaKI'],
['key' => 'role', 'value' => 'admin'],
],
],
];
$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted, $options); // john@example.com
Warning
You must use the same context for both encryption and decryption operations. Wrong contexts will result in decryption failures.
The skip
parameter enables selective processing control for specific columns in bulk operations. When set to true
, the specified column bypasses encryption and/or decryption while other columns are processed normally:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
$attributes = [
'email' => 'john@example.com',
'name' => 'John Doe',
'balance' => 1575000,
];
$options = [
'balance' => ['skip' => true],
];
$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decryptAttributes('users', $encrypted, $options);
The Protect::encrypt()
method returns an encrypted envelope array. The response format depends on the configured indexes.
For columns configured with the unique
, ore
, and/or match
indexes:
[
'k' => 'ct',
'c' => 'mBbKlk}G7QdaGiNj$dL7#+AOrA^}*VJx...',
'dt' => 'text',
'hm' => 'f3ca71fd39ae9d3d1d1fc25141bcb6da...',
'ob' => ['57e58bb3ebd195a5cdd5b77902732a6a...'],
'bf' => [1124,2134,987,1456,743,2201],
'i' => [
't' => 'users',
'c' => 'email',
],
'v' => 2,
]
Response parameters:
Parameter | Type | Source | Description |
---|---|---|---|
k |
string |
Always | Key type identifier (always ct for ciphertext) |
c |
string |
Always | Base85-encoded ciphertext containing the encrypted data |
dt |
string |
Always | Data type for casting (from cast_as configuration parameter) |
hm |
string|null |
unique |
HMAC index for exact equality queries and uniqueness constraints |
ob |
array|null |
ore |
Order-revealing encryption index for equality checks, range comparisons, range queries, and sorting operations |
bf |
array|null |
match |
Bloom filter index for full-text search queries |
i |
object |
Always | Table and column identifier for this encrypted value: ['t' => 'table', 'c' => 'column'] |
v |
int |
Always | Schema version for backward compatibility |
For columns configured with the ste_vec
index:
[
'k' => 'sv',
'c' => 'mBbLQ2^Io|1eh_K2*n^LSCVVQuGhkL>w...',
'dt' => 'jsonb',
'sv' => [
[
's' => 'dd4659b9c279af040dd05ce21b2a22f7...',
't' => '22303061363334333330316661653633...',
'r' => 'mBbLQ2^Io|1eh_K2*n^LSCVVQuGhkL>w...',
'pa' => false,
],
],
'i' => [
't' => 'users',
'c' => 'contact',
],
'v' => 2,
]
Response parameters:
Parameter | Type | Source | Description |
---|---|---|---|
k |
string |
Always | Key type identifier (always sv for structured vector) |
c |
string |
Always | Base85-encoded ciphertext containing the encrypted data |
dt |
string |
Always | Data type for casting (from cast_as configuration parameter) |
sv |
array|null |
ste_vec |
Structured text encryption vector for JSONB containment queries |
sv[].s |
string |
ste_vec |
Tokenized selector representing the encrypted JSON path to the value |
sv[].t |
string |
ste_vec |
Encrypted term value for equality and order-preserving queries |
sv[].r |
string |
ste_vec |
Base85-encoded ciphertext containing the encrypted record data |
sv[].pa |
boolean |
ste_vec |
Whether the parent JSON element is an array |
i |
object |
Always | Table and column identifier for this encrypted value: ['t' => 'table', 'c' => 'column'] |
v |
int |
Always | Schema version for backward compatibility |
The Protect::createSearchTerms()
method returns an associative array where keys are field names and values contain search terms with only the encryption indexes (without the full ciphertext). The response format depends on the configured indexes.
For columns configured with unique
, ore
, and/or match
indexes:
[
'users.email' => [
'hm' => 'f3ca71fd39ae9d3d1d1fc25141bcb6da...',
'ob' => ['57e58bb3ebd195a5cdd5b77902732a6a...'],
'bf' => [1124,2134,987,1456,743,2201],
'i' => [
't' => 'users',
'c' => 'email',
],
],
]
Response parameters:
Parameter | Type | Source | Description |
---|---|---|---|
hm |
string|null |
unique |
HMAC index for exact equality queries and uniqueness constraints |
ob |
array|null |
ore |
Order-revealing encryption index for equality checks, range comparisons, range queries, and sorting operations |
bf |
array|null |
match |
Bloom filter index for full-text search queries |
i |
object |
Always | Table and column identifier for this encrypted value: ['t' => 'table', 'c' => 'column'] |
For columns configured with ste_vec
indexes:
[
'users.contact' => [
'sv' => [
[
's' => 'dd4659b9c279af040dd05ce21b2a22f7...',
't' => '22303061363334333330316661653633...',
'r' => 'mBbLkCZcaJ2U|G333rRC>f;r}uFEp7Tg...',
'pa' => false,
],
[
's' => 'df08a4c4157bdb5bf6fa9be89cf18d10...',
't' => '22303063343133306135646334356130...',
'r' => 'mBbLkCZcaJ2U|G333rRC>f;r}E&d@?`;...',
'pa' => false,
],
],
'i' => [
't' => 'users',
'c' => 'contact',
],
],
]
Response parameters:
Parameter | Type | Source | Description |
---|---|---|---|
sv |
array|null |
ste_vec |
Structured text encryption vector for JSONB containment queries |
sv[].s |
string |
ste_vec |
Tokenized selector representing the encrypted JSON path to the value |
sv[].t |
string |
ste_vec |
Encrypted term value for equality and order-preserving queries |
sv[].r |
string |
ste_vec |
Base85-encoded ciphertext containing the encrypted record data |
sv[].pa |
boolean |
ste_vec |
Whether the parent JSON element is an array |
i |
object |
Always | Table and column identifier for this encrypted value: ['t' => 'table', 'c' => 'column'] |
Protect.php operations may throw exceptions when errors occur during library operations. Proper error handling ensures your application can gracefully handle configuration issues, network problems, or invalid data scenarios.
Protect.php defines several specific exception types for different error conditions. For most use cases, you can catch all exceptions using the base Exception
or Throwable
:
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
use Throwable;
try {
$encrypted = Protect::encrypt('users.email', 'john@example.com');
} catch (Throwable $e) {
// Handle any errors
// ...
}
For more granular error handling, you can catch specific exception types:
use CipherStash\Protect\Exceptions\EncryptException;
use CipherStash\Protect\Exceptions\ValidationException;
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
try {
$encrypted = Protect::encrypt('users.email', 'john@example.com');
} catch (ValidationException $e) {
// Handle validation errors
// ...
} catch (EncryptException $e) {
// Handle encryption errors
// ...
}
We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.