Does it include audio?

Yes. The Morse code transmission step plays audio of the encrypted letters at 12 words per minute, and sound can be enabled or disabled in the interface.

Who was this made for?

It is designed as a self-contained lesson for anyone curious about the Enigma machine — students, educators, and history enthusiasts — rather than a commercial software product.

The site does not state whether its code is open source.

No pricing, accounts, or paywall are mentioned anywhere on the page; it is presented as an explorable web experience you can visit directly.

Enigma — Explore 3D Enigma machines and their inner workings

Enigma (enigma.design) is a free interactive web experience that teaches how the German Enigma cipher machine worked. It combines 3D models of the machine with guided lessons covering its history and inner mechanisms — from setting rotor dials and the plugboard to ring settings, wiring diagrams, the double-step mechanism, and the reflector. Learners can follow electrical circuits through the rotors, type on a simulated Enigma keyboard to encrypt messages, watch the machine's mechanical parts move, and hear the resulting Morse code transmission at 12 words per minute. The site also presents historical context, including wartime photographs and reproductions of the top-secret daily key sheets (Walzenlage, Ringstellung, Grundstellung, Steckerverbindungen) that operators used.

Key Features

3D Enigma machine exploration

An interactive 3D model of the Enigma machine that can be disassembled and reassembled, letting learners inspect the rotor assembly and internal components.

16-step structured lesson

A guided curriculum of chapters covering rotor dials, the plugboard, daily settings, the inside of one rotor, the reflector, ring settings, wiring diagrams, the double step, and reassembly.

Circuit and rotor mechanics visualization

Follows the electrical current path through the machine — including the return journey after the reflector — and animates mechanical parts like the pawls, notches, and stepping mechanisms.

Working plugboard simulator

Lets users connect letter pairs with cables (up to 10, reflecting the German practice of starting with 6 and later using 10) and set daily plugboard configurations.

Daily key sheet procedure

Reproduces the OKH-Maschinenschlüssel secret key sheets (Walzenlage, Ringstellung, Grundstellung, Steckerverbindungen, Kenngruppen) and walks through how operators configured the machine each day, including rotor selection from five rotors (army/air force) or eight (navy).

Typewriter-style encryption demo

Type on a physical keyboard or the virtual Enigma keys to see lamp letters light up and encrypt a message, with step-by-step controls for pausing and inspecting each position.

Morse code radio transmission step

Simulates the separate transmission stage where an operator taps the encrypted letters in Morse code over a radio transmitter, with audio playback at 12 words per minute and a display of encrypted and recovered messages.

Historical context and wartime photographs

Covers how the German military used Enigma in World War II and how Polish, British, and French cryptanalysts exploited weaknesses in the machine and its operating procedures to decrypt intercepted communications.

How It Works

Follow a lesson sequence from setup to reassembly

The experience is organized as 16 numbered chapters (setting rotor dials, plugboard, daily settings, rotor internals, reflector, ring settings, wiring, stepping mechanics, reassembly), each combining narration with interactive 3D views.

Configure the machine from a daily key sheet

Users set the daily rotor order (Walzenlage), ring settings (Ringstellung), initial positions (Grundstellung), and plugboard cable connections (Steckerverbindungen), mirroring real German operating procedure.

Encrypt a message by typing

Press keys on a keyboard or the virtual Enigma; each key press animates the rotor stepping (including the notch, final pawl, and double step), lights a lamp, and appends to the encrypted message.

Transmit and receive in Morse code

The encrypted message is then 'transmitted' via a simulated telegraph operator and radio signal with Morse audio, showing what an eavesdropper could copy, alongside the recovered plaintext.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Highly visual and interactive: 3D models, animated circuits, and mechanical parts make abstract cipher mechanics concrete.
Historically grounded, including authentic details like water-soluble ink key sheets, 6-to-10 plugboard cables, and army/navy rotor differences.
Covers both the machine's mechanics and the full operating workflow, from daily key sheets to Morse transmission.
Includes audio elements (Morse at 12 words per minute) for a multi-sensory learning experience.
Structured as a complete lesson (16 chapters) rather than a scattered demo, so it can serve as a self-contained learning unit.

Cons

Who It's For

Best for

Students and self-learners who want an interactive, visual explanation of how the Enigma machine works.
Teachers and educators looking for a ready-made, engaging lesson on WWII cryptography.
History and museum enthusiasts interested in the operational details of Enigma use, from key sheets to Morse transmission.

Not ideal for

Developers seeking an encryption library or modern cryptography implementation.
Teams looking for a security or productivity SaaS product with accounts and pricing plans.
Learners wanting a deep, full-length course on cryptanalysis and codebreaking beyond the Enigma machine itself.

Use Cases

Students learning cryptography and the history of WWII codebreaking.

Educators demonstrating how the Enigma machine's rotors, plugboard, and reflector actually work.

History enthusiasts exploring wartime operating procedures like daily key sheets and Morse transmission.

Anyone curious about the mechanical details of the double-step mechanism, notches, pawls, and ring settings.

FAQ

What is Enigma (enigma.design)?

It's an interactive educational website that uses 3D models and guided lessons to teach how the German Enigma cipher machine worked — its rotors, plugboard, reflector, ring settings, and stepping mechanics — along with the history of its use in World War II and its decryption by Polish, British, and French cryptanalysts.

Is the Enigma machine on the site a real device?

No, it's a 3D model. The site simulates the machine's electrical circuits and rotor mechanisms in the browser, including typing on a virtual keyboard, lamp illumination, and a simulated Morse code transmission step.

What topics does the lesson cover?

The lesson is divided into 16 chapters: setting the rotor dials, the plugboard, daily plugboard settings, inside one rotor, the rotor assembly, the daily rotor order, the reflector, ring settings, the wiring diagram, plugboard wiring, rotor stepping on each key press, the notch, the final pawl, the double step, holding each position, and reassembling the machine.

How historically accurate is the site?

Enigma