PHPackages                             cipherstash/protectphp - PHPackages - PHPackages  [Skip to content](#main-content)[PHPackages](/)[Directory](/)[Categories](/categories)[Trending](/trending)[Leaderboard](/leaderboard)[Changelog](/changelog)[Analyze](/analyze)[Collections](/collections)[Log in](/login)[Sign up](/register)

1. [Directory](/)
2. /
3. [Security](/categories/security)
4. /
5. cipherstash/protectphp

ActiveLibrary[Security](/categories/security)

cipherstash/protectphp
======================

Field-level encryption for PHP with searchable encrypted data

22PHPCI failing

Since Jul 26Pushed 3mo ago1 watchersCompare

[ Source](https://github.com/cipherstash/protectphp)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/cipherstash/protectphp)[ RSS](/packages/cipherstash-protectphp/feed)WikiDiscussions main Synced 1mo ago

READMEChangelogDependenciesVersions (3)Used By (0)

 [ ![CipherStash Logo](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/ef9fcc1f57cd1fb3e6833611469eb33b04ced114230406e0d5d40d4e2dcd782e/68747470733a2f2f63697068657273746173682e636f6d2f6173736574732f63732d6769746875622e706e67) ](https://cipherstash.com)Protect.php
===========

[](#protectphp)

 Implement robust data security without sacrificing performance or usability

 [![Built by CipherStash](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cipherstash/meta/refs/heads/main/csbadge.svg)](https://cipherstash.com) [![License](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/3940fd5b54852998e35bbffae55902eeb1ed8a7962b2742f0f5fc7b6c4a5ca1c/68747470733a2f2f696d672e736869656c64732e696f2f6769746875622f6c6963656e73652f63697068657273746173682f70726f746563747068702e7376673f7374796c653d666f722d7468652d6261646765266c6162656c436f6c6f723d303030303030)](https://github.com/cipherstash/protectphp/blob/main/LICENSE.md)

Protect.php brings field-level encryption to your PHP applications. Store encrypted data in any JSONB-compatible database while maintaining searchability on PostgreSQL. Encryption happens directly in your application using a unique key for each value, managed by CipherStash [ZeroKMS](https://cipherstash.com/products/zerokms) and backed by [AWS KMS](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/kms/latest/developerguide/overview.html).

Installation
------------

[](#installation)

Install Protect.php via Composer:

```
composer require cipherstash/protectphp
```

Requirements
------------

[](#requirements)

- PHP 8.1 or higher

Configuration
-------------

[](#configuration)

Before using Protect.php, you must configure your CipherStash credentials. Set these environment variables in your application:

```
CS_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
CS_CLIENT_ACCESS_KEY=your-client-access-key
CS_CLIENT_KEY=your-client-key
CS_WORKSPACE_CRN=your-workspace-crn
```

Credentials can be generated by logging in or signing up for CipherStash and setting up a new workspace via the [CipherStash CLI](https://cipherstash.com/docs/sdk/how-to/cli) or [CipherStash Dashboard](https://dashboard.cipherstash.com/).

Quick Start
-----------

[](#quick-start)

Encrypt and decrypt data with just a few lines of code:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';

$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted); // john@example.com
```

Integrations
------------

[](#integrations)

- Laravel (coming soon)

Database Setup
--------------

[](#database-setup)

Protect.php works with any database that supports JSONB storage. The encrypted data is structured as an [Encrypt Query Language (EQL)](https://github.com/cipherstash/encrypt-query-language) JSON payload.

For advanced querying capabilities (searching, sorting, filtering), you'll need PostgreSQL with the EQL extension. EQL provides the `eql_v2_encrypted` type:

```
CREATE TABLE users (
    id BIGINT GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY PRIMARY KEY,
    email eql_v2_encrypted,
    name eql_v2_encrypted,
    balance eql_v2_encrypted,
    notes eql_v2_encrypted,
    contact eql_v2_encrypted,
    CONSTRAINT unique_email UNIQUE ((email->>'hm')) -- Enforce unique emails
);
```

See the [EQL installation instructions](https://github.com/cipherstash/encrypt-query-language#installation) to get started.

Encrypting Data
---------------

[](#encrypting-data)

Encrypt values for specific table columns using the `Protect::encrypt()` method. This method accepts the field name in dot notation, value, and optional configuration:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';

$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value);
```

The `Protect::encrypt()` method automatically handles data type conversion and applies sensible default indexes based on the PHP data type. You can customize the data type and indexing behavior by providing configuration options:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';

$options = [
    'cast_as' => 'string',
    'indexes' => [
        'unique' => [],
        'ore' => [],
        'match' => [],
    ],
];

$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value, $options);
```

Decrypting Data
---------------

[](#decrypting-data)

Decrypt an encrypted envelope back to its original value using the `Protect::decrypt()` method. This method accepts the encrypted envelope array returned from encryption and optional configuration:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';

$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted); // john@example.com
```

The `Protect::decrypt()` method automatically converts the decrypted data back to the original PHP data type. You can customize the data type conversion by providing configuration options:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$field = 'users.balance';
$value = 1575000;

$options = [
    'cast_as' => 'string',
];

$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted, $options); // "1575000"
```

Bulk Operations
---------------

[](#bulk-operations)

For improved performance when handling multiple records, use bulk encryption and decryption operations.

### Bulk Encryption

[](#bulk-encryption)

Encrypt multiple values using the `Protect::encryptAttributes()` method. This method accepts the table name and an associative array of column names and values:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$attributes = [
    'email' => 'john@example.com',
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'balance' => 1575000,
    'notes' => 'Account flagged for fraud monitoring after suspicious transaction pattern detected. Customer disputed charges on 2007-07-27. Priority support required for high-value client.',
    'contact' => [
        'phone' => '15551234567',
        'mailing_address' => [
            'street' => '742 Evergreen Terrace',
            'city' => 'Springfield',
            'state' => 'OR',
            'zip' => '97403',
        ],
    ],
];

$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes);
```

The `Protect::encryptAttributes()` method automatically handles data type conversion and applies sensible default indexes based on the PHP data type for each column. You can provide per-column configuration options:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$attributes = [
    'email' => 'john@example.com',
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'balance' => 1575000,
    'notes' => 'Account flagged for fraud monitoring after suspicious transaction pattern detected. Customer disputed charges on 2007-07-27. Priority support required for high-value client.',
    'contact' => [
        'phone' => '15551234567',
        'mailing_address' => [
            'street' => '742 Evergreen Terrace',
            'city' => 'Springfield',
            'state' => 'OR',
            'zip' => '97403',
        ],
    ],
];

$options = [
    'email' => [
        'indexes' => [
            'unique' => [],
            'ore' => [],
            'match' => [],
        ],
    ],
    'name' => [
        'indexes' => [
            'unique' => [],
            'ore' => [],
            'match' => [],
        ],
    ],
    'notes' => [
        'indexes' => [
            'match' => [],
        ],
    ],
];

$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes, $options);
```

### Bulk Decryption

[](#bulk-decryption)

Decrypt multiple encrypted envelopes using the `Protect::decryptAttributes()` method. This method accepts the table name and an associative array of column names and their corresponding encrypted envelopes:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$attributes = [
    'email' => 'john@example.com',
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'balance' => 1575000,
    'notes' => 'Account flagged for fraud monitoring after suspicious transaction pattern detected. Customer disputed charges on 2007-07-27. Priority support required for high-value client.',
    'contact' => [
        'phone' => '15551234567',
        'mailing_address' => [
            'street' => '742 Evergreen Terrace',
            'city' => 'Springfield',
            'state' => 'OR',
            'zip' => '97403',
        ],
    ],
];

$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes);
$decrypted = Protect::decryptAttributes('users', $encrypted);
```

The `Protect::decryptAttributes()` method automatically converts the decrypted data back to the original PHP data types. You can customize the data type conversion by providing per-column configuration options:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$attributes = [
    'email' => 'john@example.com',
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'balance' => 1575000,
    'notes' => 'Account flagged for fraud monitoring after suspicious transaction pattern detected. Customer disputed charges on 2007-07-27. Priority support required for high-value client.',
    'contact' => [
        'phone' => '15551234567',
        'mailing_address' => [
            'street' => '742 Evergreen Terrace',
            'city' => 'Springfield',
            'state' => 'OR',
            'zip' => '97403',
        ],
    ],
];

$options = [
    'balance' => [
        'cast_as' => 'string',
    ],
];

$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decryptAttributes('users', $encrypted, $options);
```

Searchable Encryption
---------------------

[](#searchable-encryption)

Create search terms that enable querying encrypted data without decryption using the `Protect::createSearchTerms()` method. This method accepts an associative array where keys are field names in dot notation and values are the data to search:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$fields = [
    'users.email' => 'john@example.com',
    'users.balance' => 1575000,
];

$searchTerms = Protect::createSearchTerms($fields);
```

The `Protect::createSearchTerms()` method automatically applies sensible default indexes based on the PHP data types, ensuring search terms match the indexes used for encrypted data with the same defaults. You can provide per-field configuration options:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$fields = [
    'users.email' => 'john@example.com',
    'users.balance' => 1575000,
];

$options = [
    'users.email' => [
        'indexes' => [
            'unique' => [],
            'ore' => [],
            'match' => [],
        ],
    ],
];

$searchTerms = Protect::createSearchTerms($fields, $options);
```

This feature integrates with [EQL](https://github.com/cipherstash/encrypt-query-language) and is currently only supported on PostgreSQL databases.

### Querying with Search Terms

[](#querying-with-search-terms)

These examples demonstrate how to use search terms with PostgreSQL and EQL for querying encrypted data without decryption. Each query uses the complete search terms object, and EQL automatically selects the appropriate index for the query operation.

#### Exact Equality Queries

[](#exact-equality-queries)

For exact equality queries, EQL uses the `unique` index (`hm` response parameter) from your search terms:

```
-- Find user record by email address
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE email = '{"hm":"f3ca71fd39ae9d3d1d1fc25141bcb6da...","ob":["57e58bb3ebd195a5cdd5b77902732a6a..."],"bf":[1124,2134,987,1456,743,2201],"i":{"t":"users","c":"email"}}'::jsonb;
```

#### Equality, Range, and Sorting Queries

[](#equality-range-and-sorting-queries)

For equality, range comparisons, and sorting, EQL uses the `ore` index (`ob` response parameter) from your search terms:

```
-- Find users with exact balance amount
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE balance = '{"hm":null,"ob":["99f7adadadadadadc68b2822197a849e..."],"bf":null,"i":{"t":"users","c":"balance"}}'::jsonb;

-- Find users above specified balance
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE balance >= '{"hm":null,"ob":["99f7adadadadadadc68b2822197a849e..."],"bf":null,"i":{"t":"users","c":"balance"}}'::jsonb;

-- Find users with balance in specified range
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE balance BETWEEN
      '{"hm":null,"ob":["99f7adadadadadadc68b2822197a849e..."],"bf":null,"i":{"t":"users","c":"balance"}}'::jsonb
  AND '{"hm":null,"ob":["99f7adadadadadadc68b2822197a849e..."],"bf":null,"i":{"t":"users","c":"balance"}}'::jsonb;

-- Order users by balance from lowest to highest
SELECT * FROM users
ORDER BY balance ASC;

-- Order users by balance from highest to lowest
SELECT * FROM users
ORDER BY balance DESC;
```

#### Full-Text Search Queries

[](#full-text-search-queries)

For searching within text content, EQL uses the `match` index (`bf` response parameter) from your search terms:

```
-- Find users with notes containing specified terms
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE notes LIKE '{"hm":null,"ob":null,"bf":[1397,378,1463,1673,1474,1226],"i":{"t":"users","c":"notes"}}'::jsonb;
```

#### JSONB Containment Queries

[](#jsonb-containment-queries)

For structured data queries, EQL uses the `ste_vec` index (`sv` response parameter) from your search terms:

```
-- Find users where contact contains specified values
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE contact @> '{"sv":[{"s":"dd4659b9c279af040dd05ce21b2a22f7...","t":"22303061363334333330316661653633...","r":"mBbL}QHJ&a(@rwS5n)u^G+Fb+t}Soo-h...","pa":false}],"i":{"t":"users","c":"contact"}}'::jsonb;

-- Find users where contact is contained by specified values
-- Using search terms (encrypted ahead of time, plaintext not loggable):
SELECT * FROM users
WHERE contact  'string',
];
```

### Index Types

[](#index-types)

The `indexes` parameter determines what queries are supported on encrypted data:

Index TypeDescriptionApplied by DefaultResponse ParameterSupported Queries`unique`Exact equality queries and uniqueness constraints`string`, `bool``hm``=``ore`Equality, range comparisons, range queries, and ordering`string`, `int`, `float`, `date``ob``=`, `>`, ``, ` [
        'unique' => [], // Uses defaults
    ],
];
```

Configuration parameters:

ParameterTypeRequiredDefaultDescription`token_filters``array`✗`[]`Text processing filters applied before hashing`token_filters[].kind``string`✗-Filter type: `downcase` to convert to lowercaseWith custom parameters:

```
$options = [
    'indexes' => [
        'unique' => [
            'token_filters' => [
                ['kind' => 'downcase'],
            ],
        ],
    ],
];
```

For database-level uniqueness constraints, add a unique constraint on the `hm` response parameter:

```
CONSTRAINT unique_email UNIQUE ((email->>'hm'))
```

#### Order Revealing Encryption Index (`ore`)

[](#order-revealing-encryption-index-ore)

Enables equality, range operations, and ordering on encrypted data. Uses the `ob` response parameter to create order-preserving encrypted values for equality checks, range comparisons, and sorting operations.

Basic usage:

```
$options = [
    'indexes' => [
        'ore' => [],
    ],
];
```

*This index type has no configurable parameters.*

#### Match Index (`match`)

[](#match-index-match)

Enables full-text search on encrypted text data using bloom filters. Uses the `bf` response parameter to create bloom filter representations of tokenized text for probabilistic matching.

Basic usage:

```
$options = [
    'indexes' => [
        'match' => [], // Uses defaults
    ],
];
```

Configuration parameters:

ParameterTypeRequiredDefaultDescription`tokenizer``object`✗`['kind' => 'standard']`Text tokenization method`tokenizer.kind``string`✗`standard`Tokenizer type: `standard` or `ngram``tokenizer.token_length``integer`✗`3`Token length for ngram tokenizer`token_filters``array`✗`[]`Text processing filters`token_filters[].kind``string`✗-Filter type: `downcase``k``integer`✗`6`Hash function count for bloom filter`m``integer`✗`2048`Bloom filter size in bits`include_original``boolean`✗`false`Include original text in search resultsWith custom parameters:

```
$options = [
    'indexes' => [
        'match' => [
            'tokenizer' => [
                'kind' => 'ngram',
                'token_length' => 3,
            ],
            'token_filters' => [
                ['kind' => 'downcase'],
            ],
            'k' => 8,
            'm' => 1024,
            'include_original' => true,
        ],
    ],
];
```

#### Structured Text Encryption Vector Index (`ste_vec`)

[](#structured-text-encryption-vector-index-ste_vec)

Enables containment queries on encrypted JSONB data. Uses the `sv` response parameter to create structured text encryption vectors that preserve JSON path relationships for encrypted JSONB containment matching.

Basic usage:

```
$options = [
    'indexes' => [
        'ste_vec' => [
            'prefix' => 'users.contact',
        ],
    ],
];
```

Configuration parameters:

ParameterTypeRequiredDefaultDescription`prefix``string`✓-Domain separator for cryptographic hashing that must be unique per column (recommended format is `table.column`)### Encryption Context

[](#encryption-context)

Provide additional encryption context for an additional layer of security by binding encrypted data to specific contextual information of your choosing. This prevents data encrypted with one context from being decrypted with a different context, even when using the same encryption keys.

#### Context Types

[](#context-types)

The `context` parameter determines what contextual authentication is supported:

Context TypeDescriptionSupported Index Types`identity_claim`Identity-aware encryption using JWT claims (requires CTS authentication)`unique`, `ore`, `match``tag`Label-aware encryption using string tags`unique`, `ore`, `match``value`Attribute-aware encryption using key-value pairs`unique`, `ore`, `match`Important

Encryption context is not supported with `ste_vec` indexes and will cause decryption to fail.

#### Identity Claim Context

[](#identity-claim-context)

Identity claim context binds encrypted data to specific user identities using JWT claims. This enables identity-aware encryption where data can only be decrypted by authenticated users who match the identity criteria.

Identity claim context requires [CipherStash Token Service (CTS)](https://cipherstash.com/docs/cts/about) authentication for both encryption and decryption operations.

Note

While identity claim context is supported by passing JWT claims in the `context.identity_claim` parameter, automatic CTS authentication is not yet implemented. This means you'll need to manually obtain CTS tokens by calling the CTS API directly. If automatic CTS integration would be valuable for your use case, please open an issue and let us know. Community feedback helps us prioritize new features.

#### Tag Context

[](#tag-context)

Tag context binds encrypted data to specific string labels. This enables label-aware encryption where data can only be decrypted when the same tag context is provided:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';

$options = [
    'context' => [
        'tag' => ['pii'],
    ],
];

$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted, $options); // john@example.com
```

#### Value Context

[](#value-context)

Value context binds encrypted data to specific key-value pairs. This enables attribute-aware encryption where data can only be decrypted when the same value context is provided:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$field = 'users.email';
$value = 'john@example.com';

$options = [
    'context' => [
        'value' => [
            ['key' => 'tenant_id', 'value' => 'tenant_2ynTJf38e9HvuAO8jaX5kAyVaKI'],
            ['key' => 'role', 'value' => 'admin'],
        ],
    ],
];

$encrypted = Protect::encrypt($field, $value, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decrypt($encrypted, $options); // john@example.com
```

Warning

You must use the same context for both encryption and decryption operations. Wrong contexts will result in decryption failures.

### Skip Processing

[](#skip-processing)

The `skip` parameter enables selective processing control for specific columns in bulk operations. When set to `true`, the specified column bypasses encryption and/or decryption while other columns are processed normally:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

$attributes = [
    'email' => 'john@example.com',
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'balance' => 1575000,
];

$options = [
    'balance' => ['skip' => true],
];

$encrypted = Protect::encryptAttributes('users', $attributes, $options);
$decrypted = Protect::decryptAttributes('users', $encrypted, $options);
```

Reference
---------

[](#reference)

### Encryption Response

[](#encryption-response)

The `Protect::encrypt()` method returns an encrypted envelope array. The response format depends on the configured indexes.

#### Standard Indexes Response

[](#standard-indexes-response)

For columns configured with the `unique`, `ore`, and/or `match` indexes:

```
[
    'k' => 'ct',
    'c' => 'mBbKlk}G7QdaGiNj$dL7#+AOrA^}*VJx...',
    'dt' => 'text',
    'hm' => 'f3ca71fd39ae9d3d1d1fc25141bcb6da...',
    'ob' => ['57e58bb3ebd195a5cdd5b77902732a6a...'],
    'bf' => [1124,2134,987,1456,743,2201],
    'i' => [
        't' => 'users',
        'c' => 'email',
    ],
    'v' => 2,
]
```

Response parameters:

ParameterTypeSourceDescription`k``string`AlwaysKey type identifier (always `ct` for ciphertext)`c``string`AlwaysBase85-encoded ciphertext containing the encrypted data`dt``string`AlwaysData type for casting (from `cast_as` configuration parameter)`hm``string|null``unique`HMAC index for exact equality queries and uniqueness constraints`ob``array|null``ore`Order-revealing encryption index for equality checks, range comparisons, range queries, and sorting operations`bf``array|null``match`Bloom filter index for full-text search queries`i``object`AlwaysTable and column identifier for this encrypted value: `['t' => 'table', 'c' => 'column']``v``int`AlwaysSchema version for backward compatibility#### STE Vec Index Response

[](#ste-vec-index-response)

For columns configured with the `ste_vec` index:

```
[
    'k' => 'sv',
    'c' => 'mBbLQ2^Io|1eh_K2*n^LSCVVQuGhkL>w...',
    'dt' => 'jsonb',
    'sv' => [
        [
            's' => 'dd4659b9c279af040dd05ce21b2a22f7...',
            't' => '22303061363334333330316661653633...',
            'r' => 'mBbLQ2^Io|1eh_K2*n^LSCVVQuGhkL>w...',
            'pa' => false,
        ],
    ],
    'i' => [
        't' => 'users',
        'c' => 'contact',
    ],
    'v' => 2,
]
```

Response parameters:

ParameterTypeSourceDescription`k``string`AlwaysKey type identifier (always `sv` for structured vector)`c``string`AlwaysBase85-encoded ciphertext containing the encrypted data`dt``string`AlwaysData type for casting (from `cast_as` configuration parameter)`sv``array|null``ste_vec`Structured text encryption vector for JSONB containment queries`sv[].s``string``ste_vec`Tokenized selector representing the encrypted JSON path to the value`sv[].t``string``ste_vec`Encrypted term value for equality and order-preserving queries`sv[].r``string``ste_vec`Base85-encoded ciphertext containing the encrypted record data`sv[].pa``boolean``ste_vec`Whether the parent JSON element is an array`i``object`AlwaysTable and column identifier for this encrypted value: `['t' => 'table', 'c' => 'column']``v``int`AlwaysSchema version for backward compatibility### Search Terms Response

[](#search-terms-response)

The `Protect::createSearchTerms()` method returns an associative array where keys are field names and values contain search terms with only the encryption indexes (without the full ciphertext). The response format depends on the configured indexes.

#### Standard Indexes Response

[](#standard-indexes-response-1)

For columns configured with `unique`, `ore`, and/or `match` indexes:

```
[
    'users.email' => [
        'hm' => 'f3ca71fd39ae9d3d1d1fc25141bcb6da...',
        'ob' => ['57e58bb3ebd195a5cdd5b77902732a6a...'],
        'bf' => [1124,2134,987,1456,743,2201],
        'i' => [
            't' => 'users',
            'c' => 'email',
        ],
    ],
]
```

Response parameters:

ParameterTypeSourceDescription`hm``string|null``unique`HMAC index for exact equality queries and uniqueness constraints`ob``array|null``ore`Order-revealing encryption index for equality checks, range comparisons, range queries, and sorting operations`bf``array|null``match`Bloom filter index for full-text search queries`i``object`AlwaysTable and column identifier for this encrypted value: `['t' => 'table', 'c' => 'column']`#### STE Vec Index Response

[](#ste-vec-index-response-1)

For columns configured with `ste_vec` indexes:

```
[
    'users.contact' => [
        'sv' => [
            [
                's' => 'dd4659b9c279af040dd05ce21b2a22f7...',
                't' => '22303061363334333330316661653633...',
                'r' => 'mBbLkCZcaJ2U|G333rRC>f;r}uFEp7Tg...',
                'pa' => false,
            ],
            [
                's' => 'df08a4c4157bdb5bf6fa9be89cf18d10...',
                't' => '22303063343133306135646334356130...',
                'r' => 'mBbLkCZcaJ2U|G333rRC>f;r}E&d@?`;...',
                'pa' => false,
            ],
        ],
        'i' => [
            't' => 'users',
            'c' => 'contact',
        ],
    ],
]
```

Response parameters:

ParameterTypeSourceDescription`sv``array|null``ste_vec`Structured text encryption vector for JSONB containment queries`sv[].s``string``ste_vec`Tokenized selector representing the encrypted JSON path to the value`sv[].t``string``ste_vec`Encrypted term value for equality and order-preserving queries`sv[].r``string``ste_vec`Base85-encoded ciphertext containing the encrypted record data`sv[].pa``boolean``ste_vec`Whether the parent JSON element is an array`i``object`AlwaysTable and column identifier for this encrypted value: `['t' => 'table', 'c' => 'column']`Error Handling
--------------

[](#error-handling)

Protect.php operations may throw exceptions when errors occur during library operations. Proper error handling ensures your application can gracefully handle configuration issues, network problems, or invalid data scenarios.

### Exception Types

[](#exception-types)

Protect.php defines several specific exception types for different error conditions. For most use cases, you can catch all exceptions using the base `Exception` or `Throwable`:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;
use Throwable;

try {
    $encrypted = Protect::encrypt('users.email', 'john@example.com');
} catch (Throwable $e) {
    // Handle any errors
    // ...
}
```

For more granular error handling, you can catch specific exception types:

```
use CipherStash\Protect\Exceptions\EncryptException;
use CipherStash\Protect\Exceptions\ValidationException;
use CipherStash\Protect\Protect;

try {
    $encrypted = Protect::encrypt('users.email', 'john@example.com');
} catch (ValidationException $e) {
    // Handle validation errors
    // ...
} catch (EncryptException $e) {
    // Handle encryption errors
    // ...
}
```

Contributing
------------

[](#contributing)

We welcome contributions! Please see our [Contributing Guide](CONTRIBUTING.md) for details.

###  Health Score

22

—

LowBetter than 22% of packages

Maintenance55

Moderate activity, may be stable

Popularity5

Limited adoption so far

Community10

Small or concentrated contributor base

Maturity17

Early-stage or recently created project

 Bus Factor1

Top contributor holds 57.1% of commits — single point of failure

How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window.

**Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores.

**Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement.

**Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability.

### Community

Maintainers

![](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/cecd6920303588dd8868cefeccada5235fe19f941fb96526ff848b8690157a75?d=identicon)[cs-cjbrewer](/maintainers/cs-cjbrewer)

---

Top Contributors

[![coreyhn](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/114305474?v=4)](https://github.com/coreyhn "coreyhn (4 commits)")[![tobyhede](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/28390?v=4)](https://github.com/tobyhede "tobyhede (2 commits)")[![calvinbrewer](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/10352306?v=4)](https://github.com/calvinbrewer "calvinbrewer (1 commits)")

### Embed Badge

![Health badge](/badges/cipherstash-protectphp/health.svg)

```
[![Health](https://phpackages.com/badges/cipherstash-protectphp/health.svg)](https://phpackages.com/packages/cipherstash-protectphp)
```

###  Alternatives

[defuse/php-encryption

Secure PHP Encryption Library

3.9k162.4M214](/packages/defuse-php-encryption)[mews/purifier

Laravel 5/6/7/8/9/10 HtmlPurifier Package

2.0k16.7M113](/packages/mews-purifier)[robrichards/xmlseclibs

A PHP library for XML Security

41478.1M118](/packages/robrichards-xmlseclibs)[bjeavons/zxcvbn-php

Realistic password strength estimation PHP library based on Zxcvbn JS

87117.5M63](/packages/bjeavons-zxcvbn-php)[illuminate/encryption

The Illuminate Encryption package.

9229.7M280](/packages/illuminate-encryption)[paragonie/hidden-string

Encapsulate strings in an object to hide them from stack traces

7410.6M39](/packages/paragonie-hidden-string)

PHPackages © 2026

[Directory](/)[Categories](/categories)[Trending](/trending)[Changelog](/changelog)[Analyze](/analyze)