Developer tools · cryptography library
libsodium
Hacker Approved
Developers recommend it for solid cryptography primitives with one blessed algorithm each; the common caveat is that its primitives don't always fit the need.
Summarized from 10 comments.
Developers recommend it for solid cryptography primitives with one blessed algorithm each; the common caveat is that its primitives don't always fit the need.
- recommend
- 10
- criticize
- 0
- months recommended
- 6 of 13
Why people love it
Tight, solid crypto API design · 2
Ristretto is a tightly designed API that allows me to build arbitrary polynomials on Curve25519
Dec 2025 · commentI trust that libsodium's X25519 is implemented pretty solidly
Jul 2026 · comment
What people warn about
Implementations differ across libraries · 1
Did you also check all of the libraries that implement the check differently to libsodium?
Dec 2025 · commentNot helpful for many OpenSSL uses · 1
This is generally not helpful for the kinds of things that people use OpenSSL for.
Jan 2026 · commentPrimitives not always what's needed · 1
Still great, but the primitives it provides aren't necessarily the ones you need.
Jan 2026 · comment
What hackers pick instead
- BLAKE3Free cryptographic hash function that is very fast and parallelizable, and that people often pick over SHA-256 for speed.16recommend
- AWS-LCRecommended as an OpenSSL-API alternative for low-level cryptography, often alongside BoringSSL. Critics note it is awkward to use outside C, C++ and Rust.10recommend
- xxhashFast, non-cryptographic hash function that people recommend as a faster, higher-quality replacement for CRC32 in hash tables and keys.9recommend
- pyca/cryptographyRecommended as a well-designed, fast Python cryptography library with a solid API and tests. Common caveat: it now needs the Rust toolchain to build.8recommend
- BoringSSLRecommended as a low-level TLS and crypto library, and was unaffected by several January 2026 OpenSSL advisories.7recommend
Every quote
The 8 most detailed of 10 comments. Each links to the original.
Ristretto is a tightly designed API that allows me to build arbitrary polynomials on Curve25519
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “A Vulnerability in Libsodium”
Did you also check all of the libraries that implement the check differently to libsodium?
Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “A Vulnerability in Libsodium”
This is generally not helpful for the kinds of things that people use OpenSSL for.
Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “The State of OpenSSL for pyca/cryptography”
Still great, but the primitives it provides aren't necessarily the ones you need.
Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “The State of OpenSSL for pyca/cryptography”
I trust that libsodium's X25519 is implemented pretty solidly
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Soatok's Informal Guide to Threat Models”
They'll provide you one blessed algorithm for every primitive with secure alternatives if your use-case demands them.
Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “Cryptography 101 with Alfred Menezes”
Frank does great work that is critical to many businesses
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “A Vulnerability in Libsodium”
which are also well maintained
Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “A Modern Web App in C”
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