Linux Unified Key Setup
The Linux Unified Key Setup is a disk encryption specification created by Clemens Fruhwirth in 2004 and was originally intended for Linux.
While most disk encryption software implements different, incompatible, and undocumented formats, LUKS implements a platform-independent standard on-disk format for use in various tools. This not only facilitates compatibility and interoperability among different programs, but also assures that they all implement password management in a secure and documented manner.
The reference implementation for LUKS operates on Linux and is based on an enhanced version of cryptsetup, using dm-crypt as the disk encryption backend. Under Microsoft Windows, LUKS-encrypted disks can be used with the now defunct FreeOTFE.
LUKS is designed to conform to the TKS1 secure key setup scheme.
