[ios] Importing CommonCrypto in a Swift framework

How do you import CommonCrypto in a Swift framework for iOS?

I understand how to use CommonCrypto in a Swift app: You add #import <CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h> to the bridging header. However, Swift frameworks don't support bridging headers. The documentation says:

You can import external frameworks that have a pure Objective-C codebase, a pure Swift codebase, or a mixed-language codebase. The process for importing an external framework is the same whether the framework is written in a single language or contains files from both languages. When you import an external framework, make sure the Defines Module build setting for the framework you’re importing is set to Yes.

You can import a framework into any Swift file within a different target using the following syntax:

import FrameworkName

Unfortunately, import CommonCrypto doesn't work. Neither does adding #import <CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h> to the umbrella header.

@mogstad has been kind enough to wrap @stephencelis solution in a Cocoapod:

pod 'libCommonCrypto'

The other pods available did not work for me.

This answer discusses how to make it work inside a framework, and with Cocoapods and Carthage

modulemap approach

I use modulemap in my wrapper around CommonCrypto https://github.com/onmyway133/arcane, https://github.com/onmyway133/Reindeer

For those getting header not found, please take a look https://github.com/onmyway133/Arcane/issues/4 or run xcode-select --install

• Make a folder CCommonCrypto containing module.modulemap

    module CCommonCrypto {
      header "/usr/include/CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h"
      export *
    }
  

• Go to Built Settings -> Import Paths

    ${SRCROOT}/Sources/CCommonCrypto
  

Cocoapods with modulemap approach

• Here is the podspec https://github.com/onmyway133/Arcane/blob/master/Arcane.podspec

    s.source_files = 'Sources/**/*.swift'
    s.xcconfig = { 'SWIFT_INCLUDE_PATHS' =>
    '$(PODS_ROOT)/CommonCryptoSwift/Sources/CCommonCrypto' }
    s.preserve_paths = 'Sources/CCommonCrypto/module.modulemap'
  

• Using module_map does not work, see https://github.com/CocoaPods/CocoaPods/issues/5271

• Using Local Development Pod with path does not work, see https://github.com/CocoaPods/CocoaPods/issues/809

• That's why you see that my Example Podfile https://github.com/onmyway133/CommonCrypto.swift/blob/master/Example/CommonCryptoSwiftDemo/Podfile points to the git repo

    target 'CommonCryptoSwiftDemo' do
      pod 'CommonCryptoSwift', :git => 'https://github.com/onmyway133/CommonCrypto.swift'
    end
  

public header approach

• Ji is a wrapper around libxml2, and it uses public header approach

• It has a header file https://github.com/honghaoz/Ji/blob/master/Source/Ji.h with Target Membership set to Public

• It has a list of header files for libxml2 https://github.com/honghaoz/Ji/tree/master/Source/Ji-libxml

• It has Build Settings -> Header Search Paths

    $(SDKROOT)/usr/include/libxml2
  

• It has Build Settings -> Other Linker Flags

    -lxml2
  

Cocoapods with public header approach

• Take a look at the podspec https://github.com/honghaoz/Ji/blob/master/Ji.podspec

    s.libraries        = "xml2"
    s.xcconfig         = { 'HEADER_SEARCH_PATHS' =>           '$(SDKROOT)/usr/include/libxml2', 'OTHER_LDFLAGS' => '-lxml2' }
  

Interesting related posts

• How to call C from Swift?
• https://spin.atomicobject.com/2015/02/23/c-libraries-swift/

Good news! Swift 4.2 (Xcode 10) finally provides CommonCrypto!

Just add import CommonCrypto in your swift file.

WARNING: iTunesConnect may reject apps that are using this method.

New member on my team accidentally broke the solution given by one of the top answers, so I decided to consolidate it in a small wrapper project called CommonCryptoModule. You can install it manually or via Cocoapods:

pod 'CommonCryptoModule', '~> 1.0.2'

Then, all you have to do is to import the module where you need CommonCrypto, like so:

import CommonCryptoModule

Hope someone else finds this useful.

For anyone using swift 4.2 with Xcode 10:

CommonCrypto module is now provided by the system, so you can directly import it like any other system framework.

import CommonCrypto

You can actually build a solution that "just works" (no need to copy a module.modulemap and SWIFT_INCLUDE_PATHS settings over to your project, as required by other solutions here), but it does require you to create a dummy framework/module that you'll import into your framework proper. We can also ensure it works regardless of platform (iphoneos, iphonesimulator, or macosx).

1. Add a new framework target to your project and name it after the system library, e.g., "CommonCrypto". (You can delete the umbrella header, CommonCrypto.h.)

2. Add a new Configuration Settings File and name it, e.g., "CommonCrypto.xcconfig". (Don't check any of your targets for inclusion.) Populate it with the following:

   MODULEMAP_FILE[sdk=iphoneos*]        = \
       $(SRCROOT)/CommonCrypto/iphoneos.modulemap
   MODULEMAP_FILE[sdk=iphonesimulator*] = \
       $(SRCROOT)/CommonCrypto/iphonesimulator.modulemap
   MODULEMAP_FILE[sdk=macosx*]          = \
       $(SRCROOT)/CommonCrypto/macosx.modulemap
   

3. Create the three referenced module map files, above, and populate them with the following:

   • iphoneos.modulemap

     module CommonCrypto [system] {
         header "/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/SDKs/iPhoneOS.sdk/usr/include/CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h"
         export *
     }
     

   • iphonesimulator.modulemap

     module CommonCrypto [system] {
         header "/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/SDKs/iPhoneSimulator.sdk/usr/include/CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h"
         export *
     }
     

   • macosx.modulemap

     module CommonCrypto [system] {
         header "/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.11.sdk/usr/include/CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h"
         export *
     }
     

   (Replace "Xcode.app" with "Xcode-beta.app" if you're running a beta version. Replace 10.11 with your current OS SDK if not running El Capitan.)

4. On the Info tab of your project settings, under Configurations, set the Debug and Release configurations of CommonCrypto to CommonCrypto (referencing CommonCrypto.xcconfig).

5. On your framework target's Build Phases tab, add the CommonCrypto framework to Target Dependencies. Additionally add libcommonCrypto.dylib to the Link Binary With Libraries build phase.

6. Select CommonCrypto.framework in Products and make sure its Target Membership for your wrapper is set to Optional.

You should now be able to build, run and import CommonCrypto in your wrapper framework.

For an example, see how SQLite.swift uses a dummy sqlite3.framework.

I've added some cocoapods magic to jjrscott's answer in case you need to use CommonCrypto in your cocoapods library.

1) Add this line to your podspec:

s.script_phase = { :name => 'CommonCrypto', :script => 'sh $PROJECT_DIR/../../install_common_crypto.sh', :execution_position => :before_compile }

2) Save this in your library folder or wherever you like (however don't forget to change the script_phase accordingly ...)

# This if-statement means we'll only run the main script if the
# CommonCrypto.framework directory doesn't exist because otherwise
# the rest of the script causes a full recompile for anything
# where CommonCrypto is a dependency
# Do a "Clean Build Folder" to remove this directory and trigger
# the rest of the script to run
FRAMEWORK_DIR="${BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR}/CommonCrypto.framework"

if [ -d "${FRAMEWORK_DIR}" ]; then
echo "${FRAMEWORK_DIR} already exists, so skipping the rest of the script."
exit 0
fi

mkdir -p "${FRAMEWORK_DIR}/Modules"
echo "module CommonCrypto [system] {
    header "${SDKROOT}/usr/include/CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h"
    export *
}" >> "${FRAMEWORK_DIR}/Modules/module.modulemap"

ln -sf "${SDKROOT}/usr/include/CommonCrypto" "${FRAMEWORK_DIR}/Headers"

Works like a charm :)

The modulemap solutions can be good, and are robust against SDK changes, but I've found them awkward to use in practice, and not as reliable as I'd like when handing things out to others. To try to make it all more foolproof, I went a different way:

Just copy the headers.

I know, fragile. But Apple almost never makes significant changes to CommonCrypto and I'm living the dream that they will not change it in any significant way without also finally making CommonCrypto a modular header.

By "copy the headers" I mean "cut and paste all of the headers you need into one massive header in your project just like the preprocessor would do." As an example of this that you can copy or adapt, see RNCryptor.h.

Note that all of these files are licensed under APSL 2.0, and this approach intentionally maintains the copyright and license notices. My concatenation step is licensed under MIT, and that only applies up to the next license notice).

I am not saying this is a beautiful solution, but so far it seems to have been an incredibly simple solution to both implement and support.

I think I have an improvement to Mike Weller's excellent work.

Add a Run Script phase before the Compile Sources phase containing this bash:

# This if-statement means we'll only run the main script if the
# CommonCrypto.framework directory doesn't exist because otherwise
# the rest of the script causes a full recompile for anything
# where CommonCrypto is a dependency
# Do a "Clean Build Folder" to remove this directory and trigger
# the rest of the script to run

FRAMEWORK_DIR="${BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR}/CommonCrypto.framework"

if [ -d "${FRAMEWORK_DIR}" ]; then
echo "${FRAMEWORK_DIR} already exists, so skipping the rest of the script."
exit 0
fi

mkdir -p "${FRAMEWORK_DIR}/Modules"
cat <<EOF > "${FRAMEWORK_DIR}/Modules/module.modulemap"
module CommonCrypto [system] {
    header "${SDKROOT}/usr/include/CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h"
    export *
}
EOF

ln -sf "${SDKROOT}/usr/include/CommonCrypto" "${FRAMEWORK_DIR}/Headers"

This script constructs a bare bones framework with the module.map in the correct place and then relies on Xcode's automatic search of BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR for frameworks.

I linked the original CommonCrypto include folder as the framework's Headers folder so the result should also function for Objective C projects.

In case you have the below issue :

ld: library not found for -lapple_crypto clang: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)

In Xcode 10, Swift 4.0. CommonCrypto is a part of the framework.

Add

 import CommonCrypto

Remove

• CommonCrpto lib file from link binary with libraries from Build phases
• import CommonCrypto from Bridging header

This worked for me!

I know this is an old question. But I figure out an alternative way to use the library in Swift project, which might be helpful for those who don't want to import framework introduced in these answers.

In Swift project, create a Objective-C bridging header, create NSData category (or custom class that to use the library) in Objective-C. The only drawback would be that you have to write all implementation code in Objective-C. For example:

#import "NSData+NSDataEncryptionExtension.h"
#import <CommonCrypto/CommonCryptor.h>

@implementation NSData (NSDataEncryptionExtension)
- (NSData *)AES256EncryptWithKey:(NSString *)key {
    //do something
}

- (NSData *)AES256DecryptWithKey:(NSString *)key {
//do something
}

And then in your objective-c bridging header, add this

#import "NSData+NSDataEncryptionExtension.h"

And then in Swift class do similar thing:

public extension String {
func encryp(withKey key:String) -> String? {
    if let data = self.data(using: .utf8), let encrypedData = NSData(data: data).aes256Encrypt(withKey: key) {
        return encrypedData.base64EncodedString()
    }
    return nil
}
func decryp(withKey key:String) -> String? {
    if let data = NSData(base64Encoded: self, options: []), let decrypedData = data.aes256Decrypt(withKey: key) {
        return decrypedData.UTF8String
    }
    return nil
}
}

It works as expected.

It happened the same to me after updating Xcode. I tried everything I can do such as reinstalling cocoapods and cleaning the project, but it didn't work. Now it's been solved after restart the system.

It's very simple. Add

#import <CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h>

to a .h file (the bridging header file of your project). As a convention you can call it YourProjectName-Bridging-Header.h.

Then go to your project Build Settings and look for Swift Compiler - Code Generation. Under it, add the name of your bridging header to the entry "Objetive-C Bridging Header".

You're done. No imports required in your Swift code. Any public Objective-C headers listed in this bridging header file will be visible to Swift.

Something a little simpler and more robust is to create an Aggregate target called "CommonCryptoModuleMap" with a Run Script phase to generate the module map automatically and with the correct Xcode/SDK path:

The Run Script phase should contain this bash:

# This if-statement means we'll only run the main script if the CommonCryptoModuleMap directory doesn't exist
# Because otherwise the rest of the script causes a full recompile for anything where CommonCrypto is a dependency
# Do a "Clean Build Folder" to remove this directory and trigger the rest of the script to run
if [ -d "${BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR}/CommonCryptoModuleMap" ]; then
    echo "${BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR}/CommonCryptoModuleMap directory already exists, so skipping the rest of the script."
    exit 0
fi

mkdir -p "${BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR}/CommonCryptoModuleMap"
cat <<EOF > "${BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR}/CommonCryptoModuleMap/module.modulemap"
module CommonCrypto [system] {
    header "${SDKROOT}/usr/include/CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h"
    export *
}
EOF

Using shell code and ${SDKROOT} means you don't have to hard code the Xcode.app path which can vary system-to-system, especially if you use xcode-select to switch to a beta version, or are building on a CI server where multiple versions are installed in non-standard locations. You also don't need to hard code the SDK so this should work for iOS, macOS, etc. You also don't need to have anything sitting in your project's source directory.

After creating this target, make your library/framework depend on it with a Target Dependencies item:

This will ensure the module map is generated before your framework is built.

macOS note: If you're supporting macOS as well, you'll need to add macosx to the Supported Platforms build setting on the new aggregate target you just created, otherwise it won't put the module map in the correct Debug derived data folder with the rest of the framework products.

Next, add the module map's parent directory, ${BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR}/CommonCryptoModuleMap, to the "Import Paths" build setting under the Swift section (SWIFT_INCLUDE_PATHS):

Remember to add a $(inherited) line if you have search paths defined at the project or xcconfig level.

That's it, you should now be able to import CommonCrypto

Update for Xcode 10

Xcode 10 now ships with a CommonCrypto module map making this workaround unnecessary. If you would like to support both Xcode 9 and 10 you can do a check in the Run Script phase to see if the module map exists or not, e.g.

COMMON_CRYPTO_DIR="${SDKROOT}/usr/include/CommonCrypto"
if [ -f "${COMMON_CRYPTO_DIR}/module.modulemap" ]
then
   echo "CommonCrypto already exists, skipping"
else
    # generate the module map, using the original code above
fi

I'm not sure if something's changed with Xcode 9.2 but it's now much simpler to achieve this. The only things I had to do are create a folder called "CommonCrypto" in my framework project directory and create two files inside it, one called "cc.h" as follows:

#include <CommonCrypto/CommonCrypto.h>
#include <CommonCrypto/CommonRandom.h>

And another called module.modulemap:

module CommonCrypto {
    export *
    header "cc.h"
}

(I don't know why you can't reference header files from the SDKROOT area directly in a modulemap file but I couldn't get it to work)

The third thing is to find the "Import Paths" setting and set to $(SRCROOT). In fact you can set it to whatever folder you want the CommonCrypto folder to be under, if you don't want it at the root level.

After this you should be able to use

import CommonCrypto

In any swift file and all the types/functions/etc. are available.

A word of warning though - if your app uses libCommonCrypto (or libcoreCrypto) it's exceptionally easy for a not-too-sophisticated hacker to attach a debugger to your app and find out what keys are being passed to these functions.