Researchers from the University of Bern and the University of Auckland conducted a study on the technical difficulties faced by developers using crypto libraries.

The study analyzed 25 discussions from 20 different crypto libraries on Stack Overflow, including popular ones like OpenSSL and libsodium.

Through thematic analysis, 10 key themes were identified, related to encryption/decryption, library installation, digital certificates, key generation, and interoperability challenges.

The findings aim to guide library designers in improving API design and help team leaders understand potential areas of difficulty for developers.

This research highlights the importance of addressing common issues in crypto libraries to enhance developer performance and software security.

The study was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and CHOOSE.