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CryptaVault
Your data. Only yours.
CryptaVault is a privacy-first, open-source, end-to-end encrypted cloud storage platform built around zero-knowledge architecture, distributed storage, and complete user ownership of encryption keys. Designed as a modular system, CryptaVault allows developers and organizations to deploy only the components they need while extending functionality through optional plug-in modules.
Released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+), CryptaVault is built entirely on open-source technologies and is intended to become a transparent, auditable alternative to traditional cloud storage platforms.
Vision
Modern cloud storage places trust in providers.
CryptaVault replaces trust with cryptography.
Every file is encrypted before it leaves the user’s device, optimized for storage efficiency, synchronized securely across authorized devices, and stored as unreadable encrypted data. No server, cloud provider, hosting company, or administrator can access user content.
Our long-term vision is to create an open ecosystem where secure storage, private synchronization, and user ownership become the default standards rather than premium features.
Design Principles
- Zero-Knowledge Architecture
- End-to-End Encryption
- User-Owned Encryption Keys
- Modular Architecture
- Open Standards
- Open-Source Dependencies Only
- Cross-Platform Compatibility
- Privacy by Default
- Distributed Storage
- Efficient Resource Usage
Core Modules
Identity & Authentication Module
Responsible for user authentication and cryptographic identity.
Features
- Device-generated ECC key pairs
- Multi-device authorization
- Device trust management
- Secure device registration
- Multi-factor authentication
- Session management
- Hardware security key support
- Recovery key generation
- Offline recovery support
Encryption Engine Module
Handles all encryption operations.
Features
- AES-256-GCM encryption
- Authenticated encryption
- Metadata encryption
- Folder encryption
- File name encryption
- Forward secrecy
- Key rotation
- Secure random generation
- Integrity verification
- Digital signatures
Compression & Optimization Module
Reduces storage requirements before encryption.
Features
- Content-defined chunking
- Deduplication
- Lossless compression
- Delta generation
- Incremental updates
- Binary optimization
- Large file optimization
- Compression statistics
Storage Engine Module
Stores encrypted content.
Features
- Encrypted chunk storage
- Distributed storage support
- Local encrypted storage
- Object storage abstraction
- Redundant replication
- Storage balancing
- Integrity verification
- Storage quotas
- Garbage collection
Synchronization Module
Coordinates secure synchronization across devices.
Features
- Delta synchronization
- Multi-device sync
- Automatic conflict detection
- File version history
- Snapshot management
- Resume interrupted transfers
- Queue management
- Background synchronization
- Bandwidth optimization
Sharing Module
Provides secure collaboration capabilities.
Features
- Encrypted sharing
- Public-key sharing
- Temporary access links
- Password-protected shares
- Expiration controls
- Read-only permissions
- Read/write permissions
- Access revocation
- Shared folder management
Metadata Module
Manages encrypted metadata.
Features
- Encrypted directory structure
- File indexing
- Encrypted search index
- Tag management
- File history
- Metadata synchronization
- Duplicate detection
Local Cache Module
Provides encrypted local storage.
Features
- Offline access
- Secure local database
- Intelligent cache management
- Automatic cleanup
- Cache synchronization
- Fast file lookup
Networking Module
Provides secure communication.
Features
- End-to-end encrypted transport
- Device authentication
- Secure API communication
- Connection pooling
- Peer discovery
- Secure session negotiation
- Network failover
Backup & Recovery Module
Protects user data.
Features
- Encrypted backups
- Multi-node redundancy
- Recovery key support
- Snapshot restoration
- Point-in-time recovery
- Backup verification
- Backup scheduling
Administration Module
System management and monitoring.
Features
- User management
- Device management
- Storage monitoring
- Performance monitoring
- Audit logging
- Health monitoring
- Configuration management
Optional Plug-in Modules
CryptaVault is designed around a plug-in architecture. Optional modules can be installed without modifying the core platform.
AI Compression Module
- Machine-learning compression optimization
- Intelligent duplicate detection
- Predictive synchronization
- Storage recommendations
Peer-to-Peer Module
- Direct device synchronization
- Local network discovery
- Internet peer relay
- Serverless synchronization
Enterprise Management Module
- Organization management
- Department storage
- Group permissions
- LDAP integration
- Single Sign-On
- Compliance policies
Team Collaboration Module
- Shared workspaces
- Team folders
- Collaborative permissions
- Activity feeds
- Workspace administration
Secure Messaging Module
- End-to-end encrypted messaging
- File discussions
- Device-to-device messaging
- Secure notifications
Media Library Module
- Photo management
- Video management
- Music organization
- Metadata extraction
- Thumbnail generation
- Media streaming
Document Management Module
- Document versioning
- OCR integration
- PDF management
- Digital signatures
- Document workflows
Password Vault Module
- Password management
- Secure notes
- Secret storage
- Two-factor authentication storage
- Passkey storage
Digital Identity Module
- Identity documents
- Certificate storage
- License storage
- Secure credential management
Blockchain Verification Module
- Timestamp verification
- Immutable document verification
- Proof-of-existence
- Audit verification
Automation Module
- Scheduled synchronization
- Automated backups
- Rule-based workflows
- Event automation
- File lifecycle management
API & Developer Module
- REST API
- GraphQL API
- SDK support
- Webhooks
- Plug-in SDK
- CLI tools
Notification Module
- Push notifications
- Email notifications
- Desktop notifications
- Mobile alerts
- Security alerts
Search Module
- Full encrypted search
- Metadata search
- File content indexing
- Smart filtering
Analytics Module
Privacy-respecting analytics.
Features
- Storage usage
- Device statistics
- Synchronization performance
- Compression efficiency
- Health reports
No user file contents are ever analyzed.
Cloud Connector Module
Allows encrypted storage across third-party providers while preserving zero-knowledge encryption.
Possible providers include:
- S3-compatible storage
- Self-hosted object storage
- Network attached storage (NAS)
- Remote servers
- Hybrid storage deployments
Open-Source Technology Stack
Cryptography
- libsodium
- OpenSSL
- Tink
- CryptoKit
- RustCrypto
Compression
- Zstandard
- Brotli
- libwebp
- libheif
Storage
- IPFS
- Tahoe-LAFS
- SQLite
- LevelDB
Networking
- libp2p
- gRPC
Development
- Swift
- Kotlin
- Rust
- Python
- WebAssembly
Security Model
- Zero-Knowledge Architecture
- End-to-End Encryption
- User-Owned Keys
- No Master Keys
- No Plaintext Metadata
- No Server-Side Decryption
- No Hidden Telemetry
- No Proprietary Cryptography
- Open Security Auditing
- Reproducible Builds
Future Roadmap
Phase 1
- Core storage engine
- Encryption engine
- Synchronization
- Cross-platform clients
Phase 2
- Distributed storage
- Secure sharing
- Version history
- Offline support
Phase 3
- Peer-to-peer networking
- Plug-in marketplace
- Enterprise deployment
Phase 4
- AI optimization
- Hardware security integration
- Decentralized identity
- Community-hosted storage networks
Phase 5
- Federated CryptaVault instances
- Global encrypted storage ecosystem
- Developer extension marketplace
Future Roadmap
- Peer-to-peer direct device sync (no server dependency)
- AI-assisted compression optimization
- Hardware security key integration (FIDO2/WebAuthn)
- Fully offline-first mode with optional cloud bridging
- Encrypted collaboration workspaces
- Smart selective sync (priority-based file loading)
- Anonymous performance metrics (opt-in only)
Specification Branding License (SBL)
Standard
- Fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant system
- Copyleft enforced for network deployments
- Required attribution:
- Roxanne Ardary
- https://www.roxanneardary.com/
Optional
- Specification Branding License (SBL)
- Attribution-free commercial deployment
- Pricing based on scale, usage, and deployment scope
- https://roxanneardary.com/cryptavault/
License & Notice Requirements
CryptaVault is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).
By contributing to this project, you agree that your contributions will also be released under this license.
Please note the following:
- All contributions must comply with the AGPL-3.0+ terms.
- Under Section 7 of the license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works must preserve attribution to: Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.
- CryptaVault specifications are free to use with attribution. A Specification Branding License can be negotiated upon request.
- The project’s notice.md file tracks attribution requirements and contributor acknowledgments. Any updates that add contributors or modify attribution must also update
notice.md. - When submitting changes, ensure all new files maintain required attribution and licensing consistency.
- Network-deployed versions of this software must also remain fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant, including exposure of source code modifications when applicable under the license.
For full legal details, refer to the AGPL-3.0+ license and the notice.md file.
Notice – CryptaVault
Attribution Requirement: Under Section 7 of the AGPL 3.0+ license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works, including network-deployed versions of this project, must provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.
Contributors
This file tracks contributors and their specific contributions to the project.
- Roxanne Ardary, roxanneardary.com – April 10, 2026
Created the CryptaVault repository and defined the initial system architecture for a zero-knowledge, end-to-end encrypted, open-source cloud storage platform focused on secure cross-device synchronization and data ownership. - [Add other contributors here] – [Date]
[Describe contribution in one sentence]
License – CryptaVault
This repository is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).
Key Points
- You are free to use, modify, and distribute the code.
- All redistributions, forks, and derivative works or network-deployed versions must also be licensed under AGPL-3.0+ and provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com as required under Section 7 of the license.
- The software is provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind.
For the full license text, see GNU AGPL-3.0 License.