Stress measurements yield insight into technologically relevant deformation and failure mechanisms in electrodeposition, battery reaction corrosion and anodic oxidation. Aluminum anodizing experiments were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of phase-shifting curvature interferometry as a new technique for high-resolution in situ stress measurement. This method uses interferometry to monitor surface curvature changes, from which stress evolution is inferred. Phase-shifting of the reflected beams enhanced measurement sensitivity, and the separation of the optical path from the electrochemical cell in the present system provided increased stability. Curvature changes as small as 10(-3) km(-1) were detected, at least comparable to the resolution of state-of-the-art multiple beam deflectometry. It was demonstrated that small curvature change rates of 10(-3) km(-1) s(-1) could be reliably measured, indicating that the technique can be applied to bulk samples. The dependence of the stress change during anodizing on current density (tensile at low current density, but increasingly compressive at higher current densities) was quantitatively consistent with earlier multiple-beam deflectometry measurements. The close similarity between the results of these different high-resolution measurements helps to resolve conflicting reports of anodizing-induced stress changes found in the literature. (C) 2013 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.