Expose Go library functions (please review the API!)

[schollz]

What were you trying to do

Use age encryption in a Go program by importing it.

What happened

Because age uses internal it prevents importing. I suspect this was on purpose, and that's okay, but just wanted to check if this was sought a possibility for this spec.

[ovalseven8]

According to the age documentation it's intended to be a library:

This is a design for a simple file encryption CLI tool, Go library, and format.

[xt0fer]

perhaps we're just getting caught by the 1.4/1.5 design stricture? If internal was renamed to library or impl would that change the intention of the project?

[schollz]

@ovalseven8 That's great! I should have been more specific - I'm actually wondering if this implementation (filippo.io/age) is meant to serve as the Go library.

[schollz]

@xt0fer exactly, any name change would allow it to be used as a library. However it was probably purposely done to be internal, just wanted to double check

[abarisani]

I'd welcome this for attempting to compile this under TamaGo (https://github.com/inversepath/tamago).

[schollz]

I made this for now: https://github.com/schollz/age/ but I'd rather not have to merge upstream to keep it up to date, so it would be nice if this repo is the library.

@FiloSottile, do you plan on having this repo be used as a library?

[sashabaranov]

Exposing age as a library would very much benefit building mobile apps with good encryption through gomobile!

[richo]

Is there any word on this? I'd love to avoid shelling out to age if I can avoid it.

[cyb3rz3us]

Apologies in advance for not fully understanding the ask here but since 'age' is using the Go crypto library, why would someone then want to have 'age' be a crypto library for use in a Go program?

I guess I would think one would just use the same libs that 'age' uses for their Go program...please help me see what I am missing...

[hairyhenderson]

@cyb3rz3us it's not "just" using the Go crypto package... it's also implementing a specific format.

The simplest (and probably most naïve) solution to this issue would be to expose all the packages that are currently in https://github.com/FiloSottile/age/tree/master/internal; but I don't think @FiloSottile really wants to do that 😉...

[dncohen]

Count me in as wanting this all this age goodness as an importable package.

I think internal/age is the only one that needs moving out of the internal/ directory. That's what PR #119 does.

[stchris]

FYI https://twitter.com/FiloSottile/status/1262279790377291776?s=20