Vault Desk provides a robust, privacy-first alternative to traditional cloud storage solutions like Google Drive and Dropbox. It is designed with a "zero-knowledge" architecture, meaning all encryption and decryption processes occur entirely on your device, ensuring that Vault Desk itself has no knowledge of your file contents or even their filenames. The server only ever stores ciphertext and wrapped keys, rendering any data breach on the server side useless without your personal password.
Key features include:
- End-to-end encryption: Each file is encrypted client-side using XChaCha20-Poly1305 before being uploaded, guaranteeing that only encrypted data reaches the server.
- Passwordless-safe login: Utilizes OPAQUE protocol, ensuring your password never leaves your device, not even in a hashed form. The server authenticates you without ever seeing your password.
- Secure sharing: Files can be shared securely, with keys sealed to the recipient's public key. Access can be revoked or roles changed at any time.
- Public links: Generate public links where the decryption key is embedded in the URL fragment (after the #), preventing it from reaching Vault Desk servers. Options for password protection and expiry dates are available.
- Key Transparency: Recipient public keys are published in a tamper-evident, append-only log, preventing the server from substituting a key it controls.
- Account recovery: A one-time recovery key allows access restoration without Vault Desk ever holding the keys that decrypt your files, emphasizing user control over data.
- Open crypto core: The cryptographic core is built on standard, well-reviewed primitives from libsodium (XChaCha20-Poly1305, X25519, Ed25519, Argon2id) and is shared across web and mobile platforms, making it auditable.
Vault Desk is available as a fast, modern web app built with Next.js and React, requiring no plugins or installations. Dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android share the identical crypto core, ensuring consistent encryption behavior across all devices. The service offers a free tier with 5 GB of storage, with paid plans available for increased storage and additional features like password-protected links and team spaces. This makes Vault Desk an ideal solution for individuals and organizations prioritizing data privacy and security.
