> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mariadb.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/security/encryption/data-at-rest-encryption/aria-encryption/aria-encryption-keys.md).

# Aria: Encryption Keys

As with other storage engines that support data-at-rest encryption, Aria relies on an [Encryption Key Management](/docs/server/security/encryption/data-at-rest-encryption/key-management-and-encryption-plugins.md) plugin to handle its encryption keys. Where the support is available, Aria can use [multiple keys](/docs/server/security/encryption/data-at-rest-encryption/key-management-and-encryption-plugins/encryption-key-management.md#using-multiple-encryption-keys).

## Encryption Keys

MariaDB keeps track of each encryption key internally using a 32-bit integer, which serves as the key identifier. Unlike [InnoDB](/docs/server/security/encryption/data-at-rest-encryption/innodb-encryption.md), Aria does not support the [ENCRYPTION\_KEY\_ID](/docs/server/server-usage/tables/create-table.md#encryption_key_id) table option (for more information, see [MDEV-18049](https://jira.mariadb.org/browse/MDEV-18049)), which allows the user to specify the encryption key to use. Instead, Aria defaults to specific encryption keys provided by the Encryption Key Management plugin.

* When working with user-created tables, Aria encrypts them to disk using the ID 1 key.
* When working with internal temporary tables written to disk, Aria encrypts them to disk using the ID 2 key, unless there is no ID 2 key, then it falls back on the ID 1 key.

## Key Rotation

Some [key management and encryption plugins](/docs/server/security/encryption/data-at-rest-encryption/key-management-and-encryption-plugins/encryption-key-management.md) allow you to automatically rotate and version your encryption keys. If a plugin support key rotation, and if it rotates the encryption keys, then InnoDB's [background encryption threads](/docs/server/security/encryption/data-at-rest-encryption/innodb-encryption/innodb-background-encryption-threads.md) can re-encrypt InnoDB pages that use the old key version with the new key version. However, Aria does **not** have a similar mechanism, which means that the tables remain encrypted with the older key version. For more information, see [MDEV-18971](https://jira.mariadb.org/browse/MDEV-18971).

In order for key rotation to work, both the backend key management service (KMS) and the corresponding [key management and encryption plugin](/docs/server/security/encryption/data-at-rest-encryption/key-management-and-encryption-plugins/encryption-key-management.md) have to support key rotation. See [Encryption Key Management: Support for Key Rotation in Encryption Plugins](/docs/server/security/encryption/data-at-rest-encryption/key-management-and-encryption-plugins/encryption-key-management.md#support-for-key-rotation-in-encryption-plugins) to determine which plugins currently support key rotation.

<sub>*This page is licensed: CC BY-SA / Gnu FDL*</sub>

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