TECHNICAL GLOSSARY · STANDARDS DEFINITION · VERIFIED 2026-11-10
WebCrypto
Authoritative Definition
The W3C Web Cryptography API provides standardized, hardware-accelerated cryptographic primitives—including AES-GCM, PBKDF2, and SHA-256—directly within browser execution contexts.
Common Aliases:Web Cryptography APIcrypto.subtle
## What is the Web Cryptography API?
The Web Cryptography API (`window.crypto.subtle`) is a native browser interface providing secure access to the operating system's cryptographic subroutines.
### Cryptographic Operations
- **Symmetric Encryption:** AES-GCM, AES-CBC, and AES-CTR with 128-bit and 256-bit key lengths.
- **Key Derivation:** PBKDF2 and HKDF with configurable iteration counts and salt values.
- **Hashing:** Cryptographic digests including SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512.
- **Digital Signatures:** ECDSA, Ed25519, and RSA-PSS.
PrivacyFold leverages WebCrypto for zero-knowledge file encryption and self-decrypting envelopes.
Related Client-Side Privacy Tools
Run the in-browser implementations adhering to WebCrypto with zero server uploads.