L7eC

L7eC is a lightweight, open-source cryptographic library designed for developers seeking secure and efficient encryption solutions. Released under the MIT License, it is written in the C programming language, making it portable across various platforms, including embedded systems and resource-constrained environments. The library focuses on simplicity and performance, providing essential cryptographic primitives such as symmetric encryption, message authentication codes (MACs), and key derivation functions.

L7eC supports modern algorithms like AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) in various modes (e.g., CBC, GCM) and ChaCha20-Poly1305 for stream and authenticated encryption. It also includes secure hash functions such as SHA-256 and SHA-512, along with key derivation functions like PBKDF2 and Argon2 (via optional bindings). The library emphasizes minimal dependencies, requiring only standard C libraries, which reduces deployment complexity.

Developed with security in mind, L7eC undergoes regular audits and follows best practices for cryptographic implementation, including constant-time operations to mitigate timing attacks. Its modular design allows developers to integrate only the components they need, optimizing both code size and runtime efficiency. While primarily intended for C developers, L7eC can be used as a foundation for bindings in other languages through tools like cbindgen or SWIG.

L7eC is maintained by a small community of contributors and is suitable for applications requiring robust cryptography without the overhead of larger frameworks. Its documentation is concise, with examples provided for common use cases, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced developers. The project is hosted on GitHub, where users can report issues, request features, or contribute improvements.