SecurityArc/docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md

SecureArc CLI Reference

The Command Line Interface (CLI) provides advanced control over SecureArc operations and allows for automation. For general user documentation, see User Guide.

Usage

securearc-cli [COMMAND] [OPTIONS]

Commands

create

Creates a new secure archive.

Usage:

securearc-cli create -o <OUTPUT_ARCHIVE> <INPUT_FILES>... [OPTIONS]

Options:

• -o, --output <OUTPUT_ARCHIVE>: Output archive file path (required)
• -p, --password <PASSWORD>: Set password directly (not recommended for history). If omitted, prompts securely.
• -m, --max-attempts <N>: Set max password attempts (Default: 5, range: 3-99).
• -e, --encryption <ALG>: Choose encryption algorithm (aes256 [default], chacha20).
• -c, --compression <ALG>: Choose compression algorithm (lzma2 [default], zstd, brotli, none).

Examples:

# Create archive with default settings
securearc-cli create -o secret.sarc ./data/report.pdf ./data/image.png

# Create archive with custom settings
securearc-cli create -o secret.sarc file1.txt file2.txt \
    --max-attempts 10 \
    --encryption chacha20 \
    --compression zstd

# Create archive with password from command line (not recommended)
securearc-cli create -o secret.sarc file.txt -p "mypassword"

extract

Extracts files from an archive.

Usage:

securearc-cli extract <ARCHIVE> [OPTIONS]

Options:

• -o, --output <OUTPUT_DIR>: Output directory for extracted files (Default: current directory)
• -p, --password <PASSWORD>: Provide password. If omitted, prompts securely.

Examples:

# Extract to current directory
securearc-cli extract secret.sarc

# Extract to specific directory
securearc-cli extract secret.sarc -o ./extracted_data

# Extract with password from command line
securearc-cli extract secret.sarc -p "mypassword" -o ./output

list

Lists the contents of an encrypted archive. Requires password.

Usage:

securearc-cli list <ARCHIVE> [OPTIONS]

Options:

• -p, --password <PASSWORD>: Provide password. If omitted, prompts securely.

Examples:

# List files (will prompt for password)
securearc-cli list secret.sarc

# List files with password from command line
securearc-cli list secret.sarc -p "mypassword"

info

Displays public metadata (verification status, attempt count) without requiring the password.

Usage:

securearc-cli info <ARCHIVE>

Example:

securearc-cli info secret.sarc

Output includes:

• Maximum allowed attempts
• Current failed attempts
• Remaining attempts before destruction
• Whether archive has been destroyed
• Number of files in archive

Exit Codes

• 0: Success
• 1: General Error (IO, Invalid Arguments)
• 2: Authentication Failed (Wrong Password)
• 3: Archive Destroyed (Self-destruct triggered or previously destroyed)

Notes

• All commands support both Windows PowerShell and Unix shells (bash, zsh, etc.)
• When password is not provided via -p, the CLI will securely prompt for it
• The info command does not require a password and can be used to check archive status safely
• Archive file extension is typically .sarc but any extension can be used