Why Browser-Based Encryption?
When you paste sensitive data into an online encryption tool, you're trusting that tool's server with your plaintext. That defeats the purpose of encryption. The Web Crypto API, built into every modern browser, eliminates this trust problem entirely.
How AES-256-GCM Works
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with 256-bit keys in GCM (Galois/Counter Mode) is the gold standard for symmetric encryption. It provides both confidentiality and authenticity — if even one bit of the ciphertext is altered, decryption fails.
The Process
- Key Derivation (PBKDF2): Your password is converted to a 256-bit key using PBKDF2 with 100,000 iterations and a random salt. This makes brute-force attacks computationally expensive.
- Encryption: The plaintext is encrypted with AES-256-GCM using the derived key and a random 12-byte IV (initialization vector).
- Output: The salt, IV, and ciphertext are combined and Base64-encoded for easy sharing.
Security Properties
- Confidentiality: Only someone with the correct password can decrypt
- Authenticity: GCM mode detects tampering — modified ciphertext fails to decrypt
- Randomness: Each encryption uses a unique salt and IV, so encrypting the same text twice produces different ciphertext
- Key Stretching: PBKDF2 with 100K iterations slows down password guessing attacks
Browser Support
The Web Crypto API is supported in all modern browsers: Chrome 37+, Firefox 34+, Safari 11+, Edge 12+. No polyfills needed.
Try It Now
Our AES-256 Encryption tool implements this entire process in your browser. Your plaintext never leaves your device — verify by checking the Network tab in DevTools.