1. age-plugin-batchpass(1)
3. age-plugin-batchpass(1)

NAME

age-plugin-batchpass - non-interactive passphrase encryption plugin for age(1)

SYNOPSIS

age -e -j batchpass
age -d -j batchpass

DESCRIPTION

age-plugin-batchpass is an age(1) plugin that enables non-interactive passphrase-based encryption and decryption using environment variables.

It is not built into the age CLI because most applications should use native keys instead of scripting passphrase-based encryption.

ENVIRONMENT

AGE_PASSPHRASE

The passphrase to use for encryption or decryption. Mutually exclusive with AGE_PASSPHRASE_FD.

AGE_PASSPHRASE_FD

A file descriptor number to read the passphrase from. Trailing newlines are stripped from the file contents. Mutually exclusive with AGE_PASSPHRASE.

AGE_PASSPHRASE_WORK_FACTOR

The scrypt work factor to use when encrypting. Must be between 1 and 30. Default is 18. Higher values are more secure but slower.

AGE_PASSPHRASE_MAX_WORK_FACTOR

The maximum scrypt work factor to accept when decrypting. Must be between 1 and 30. Default is 30. Can be used to avoid very slow decryptions.

EXAMPLES

Encrypt a file with a passphrase:

$ AGE_PASSPHRASE=secret age -e -j batchpass file.txt > file.txt.age

Decrypt a file with a passphrase:

$ AGE_PASSPHRASE=secret age -d -j batchpass file.txt.age > file.txt

Read the passphrase from a file descriptor:

$ AGE_PASSPHRASE_FD=3 age -e -j batchpass file.txt 3< passphrase.txt > file.txt.age

SEE ALSO

age(1)

AUTHORS

Filippo Valsorda age@filippo.io

2. December 2025
3. age-plugin-batchpass(1)