Product specification

Define Ownfold's encrypted-vault outcomes, developer contract, infrastructure-independent guarantees, initial scope, and explicit non-goals.

Ownfold lets TypeScript applications add encrypted data and user-owned vaults without using Ownfold-operated infrastructure. The host application supplies identity, persistence, transport, UI when one exists, and deployment. Ownfold supplies portable cryptography, backend coordination, optional browser lifecycle, validated formats, and integration contracts.

Foundation outcomes

A user can create a vault, protect it with a Recovery Kit, verify the kit locally, encrypt JSON or binary records, lock and unlock the vault, destroy local state, restore from the kit, and decrypt records previously stored by the host application.

For browser E2EE, the SDK succeeds when the application backend sees only encrypted envelopes and required metadata, persisted formats reject invalid input, and recovery works after all local Ownfold state has been deleted. For trusted backend encryption, it succeeds when key access is explicit, plaintext lifetime is bounded, authenticated context prevents record substitution, and only encrypted envelopes are persisted.

Current lifecycle scope

The pre-beta implementation includes a frontend-independent server SDK, direct Node and Web handlers, backend framework adapters, authentication resolvers, database adapters, a portable cryptographic engine, optional browser lifecycle, and optional headless React hooks. The browser profile adds protected per-browser device keys, revocation, existing-device pairing, cross-tab automatic locking, and resumable root-key rotation. The persisted V1 and V2 formats have immutable compatibility gates. This does not make the project independently audited or a stable release.

The beta-readiness matrix separates implemented non-framework behavior from paused ecosystem expansion and the external evidence required before a production-grade claim.

Non-goals

Ownfold does not include hosted infrastructure, authentication, billing, a dashboard, shared vaults, group collaboration, encrypted search, a messaging protocol, post-quantum cryptography, a recovery master key, or silent recovery through account-password reset. Streaming files and native/mobile secure storage are not part of the current beta target.

Developer contract

Expected failures are returned as typed results. Applications provide a VaultTransport for authenticated coordination and store encrypted application records through their own repositories. Ownfold never adds application-data methods to the coordination transport.

Backend-only applications may instead use @ownfold/server directly or use @ownfold/crypto for trusted service-side encryption. Neither path requires @ownfold/browser or React.

Ownfold does not render product UI. Applications own names, descriptions, visible actions, layout, accessibility, and interaction design. Framework packages adapt transport and lifecycle operations; they do not impose screens or workflows.