Use of --passphrase-file

[Harman, Michael]

I am attempting to automate a process that decrypts files. The files are encrypted with my key which has a passphrase. I have determined I can use the "--passphrase-file" option to get the passphrase of my key. In the gpg documentation at https://www.gnupg.org/documentation/manuals/gnupg/GPG-Esoteric-Options.html, under "--passphrase-file file" it says "Don't use this option if you can avoid it", but I can't find any alternative solution in the documentation. I found one blog that says to just remove the passphrase, however I'd like to preserve the passphrase. Do you have any recommendations where I can have a passphrase but still use it in an unattended fashion that is secure?

Michael W. Harman, MIT | Senior Application Architect, Information Services | UHS of Delaware, Inc. | a subsidiary of Universal Health Services | Phone 610.768.3416

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