SQLCipher for Android Refresh
We are excited to announce the beta availability of a new version of SQLCipher For Android. This new release provides major benefits including optimized support for concurrent database access, drastic performance improvements, API simplification, and codebase modernization. With the new library SQL operations are executed on a ThreadLocal<SQLiteSession> instance which completely eliminates the aggressive locking behavior that could occur with the original version of SQLCipher For Android. Built-in WAL journal mode and connection pooling allows for parallel execution of queries from multiple threads. The updated Java API, based on the android.database package found in the AndroidBindings project, eliminates virtually all dated legacy code from the project.
History
We would like to thank Signal for helping to support the development of this new library which will benefit Android developers everywhere. SQLCipher For Android was initially released over 10 years ago following initial work with Guardian Project, making the security provided by SQLCipher available on the Android ecosystem. A lot has changed over the years; Zetetic continues to maintain the library, integrating new versions of SQLCipher, adding support for 64-bit device architectures, adding Room/Support API integration (thanks commonsguy!), and improving the project integration experience to name a few. SQLCipher For Android was based on an older version of the android.database.sqlite Java API. Unfortunately, this limited the abilities of the library, specifically in terms of concurrency. The new version of the library builds on the solid foundation of SQLCipher for Android with an eye toward concurrency at the forefront.
Availability
As SQLCipher for Android receives downloads in the hundreds of thousands every year, we are taking a safe and measured approach to revising the library; providing stability for developers who depend on the security of SQLCipher is paramount. Zetetic will continue to maintain the original SQLCipher For Android library for some time until the refresh may be considered a full replacement. Initially, the new library will be available in source-only format (available here); developers will need to provide both the SQLCipher amalgamation and OpenSSL dependencies to evaluate the library while we are in a preview state. Eventually, we will publish Community edition AAR artifacts. Commercial and Enterprise SQLCipher customers may access prerelease builds of the new SQLCipher for Android library from the Customer Downloads fulfillment site. While we are releasing the software in preview mode for now, the library is fairly stable and is already in use in on millions of devices with great success.
Performance
To provide some context around the performance difference between the old and new versions of SQLCipher for Android we prepared a small application that bundles both versions of the library and performs a series of multithreaded operations. The scenario represents a single writer operation producing 5,000 records. Concurrently, we have 5 separate reader operations running in separate threads attempting to individually read all data produced by the writer. The old (current) version of SQLCipher for Android took 59.59 seconds to process all records on a Pixel 6 device. The new version was able to complete the same task in 3.01 seconds. We look forward to hearing your feedback regarding the new library as we prepare to continue our support of SQLCipher for Android in the future.
