Install Fractum

Both installation paths expose the same fractum command. Choose the one you can repeat when you later need to recover a file, then use a disposable file to rehearse the complete workflow. If direct command flags are not appropriate, the CLI also provides a guided interactive mode.

Choose a path

Docker workflowBest when you want a repeatable container runtime. Docker network isolation is enabled explicitly with `--network=none` when you run the container. Manual installationBest when you need to work from source or cannot use Docker. The current CLI requires Python 3.12.11 exactly.

Before the first real secret

  1. Read the full guide for the path you selected.
  2. Encrypt a file that contains no sensitive data.
  3. Keep the generated encrypted file and at least K share archives in separate test locations.
  4. Recover that file on the intended recovery machine.

Do not treat a successful encryption command as proof that a backup works. The recovery rehearsal is part of the setup.

What comes next

After installation, move directly to encrypting a test file. The security best practices guide covers custody and the recovery plan that the CLI cannot make for you.