Self-describing archives with cryptographic Merkle-Tree integrity. Readable in 25 years — without the original application. Auditor verify binary is free.
A detached SHA-256 file can be replaced or antedated. Regulators have made clear that this is not acceptable evidence of integrity.
A Merkle tree is computed over all records and embedded with a cryptographic timestamp directly inside the archive — inseparable from the data.
Plain CSV without a schema becomes meaningless when the original application is gone and no one remembers what "col7" meant.
flworm embeds a self-describing schema block — field names, types, units, and encoding — inside every archive. No external catalog required.
Full-suite compliance platforms require long procurement cycles, professional services, and vendor lock-in that small and mid-size firms cannot afford.
flworm starts at €59/month. Self-service setup. No enterprise suite. No professional services required to get started.
Field names, data types, units, and character encoding are embedded inside every archive. Readable in 25 years without the original application.
State-of-the-art ZSTD compression reduces storage footprint by 60–80% for typical financial and log data without sacrificing speed.
A cryptographic Merkle tree is computed over all records and embedded in the archive header — binding data, schema, and timestamp into a single proof.
Every archive carries a structured metadata block: creation timestamp, host identity, regulation tag (e.g. SEC-17a4), and retention period.
Archives can be signed with X.509 certificates or PGP keys to add non-repudiation. Signature verification is part of the free verify binary.
Auditors and regulators can verify any flworm archive using a free, standalone binary — no license, no account, no dependency on flworm being commercially available.
Data can be extracted from any flworm file using the open format specification. Vendor lock-in is structurally impossible.
A signed PDF audit report summarizing the archive's integrity state, metadata, and verification result — ready for regulatory submission.
| Regulation | Retention Requirement | WORM Required | flworm Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEC 17a-4(f) | 3–6 years (broker-dealer records) | Yes — non-erasable, non-rewritable | ✓ Supported |
| SOX 802 | 7 years (audit records) | Recommended | ✓ Supported |
| 21 CFR Part 11 | Lifetime of record per FDA guidance | Audit trail required | ✓ Supported |
| HIPAA | 6 years (medical records) | Integrity controls required | ✓ Supported |
| EU Telco Data Retention | 6–24 months (traffic metadata) | Integrity controls required | ✓ Supported |
| FINRA 4511 | 3–6 years (member firm records) | Yes — consistent with SEC 17a-4 | ✓ Supported |
| Solution | Cost | Self-Describing Format | Merkle-Tree Proof | Free Auditor Verify | Extraction Without Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archive360 | $200K–500K/yr | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| OpenText | $100K+/yr | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Restic / Borg | Free (OSS) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| CSV + SHA-256 | Free | ✗ | ✗ No proof | N/A | ✓ |
| AWS S3 Object Lock | Storage cost | ✗ No format | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| flworm | From €59/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
x86-64 Linux and Windows. Ideal for cloud-native deployments, CI/CD pipelines, and on-premise servers.
Annual subscription: 15% discount
Native z/OS support for mainframe batch archiving. Full FLAM5 integration. Runs as a batch job or USS utility.
Annual subscription: 15% discount
IBM AIX Power and Oracle/Sun SPARC platforms. For legacy environments that still hold business-critical data.
Annual subscription: 15% discount
From €59/month. Free auditor verify binary included.