LUKS Reference

LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup) can be used to handle to creation and access encrypted volumes on Linux.
If you want to back up or transfer files to external hard drives on Linux, LUKS no further.

This reference is intended to be a high level overview for everyday use, not an exhaustive guide. To learn more, try visiting gitlab.com/cryptsetup/cryptsetup or running man cryptsetup.

Setup

You can set up drives via the terminal, but personally I’m lazy and tend to just use the UI, for example on Ubuntu:

Usage

If required, find the drive you want to target (for example /dev/sda1):

lsblk

Unlock an encrypted drive, supplying your desired name:

sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sda1 name

Mount to decrypted drive:

sudo mount /dev/mapper/name /mnt/name