FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- Can nvault staff read my environment variables?
- No. All encryption and decryption happens in your browser. The server stores only ciphertext and keys that are themselves wrapped by a key derived from your vault passphrase, which is never sent to us.
- What happens if I forget my vault passphrase?
- Because the architecture is zero-knowledge, there is no recovery path — we cannot reset a passphrase we never had. Store it in a password manager and keep an offline backup of critical files.
- Does it change my .env files in any way?
- No. Files are stored and restored byte-for-byte. Comments, quoting, ordering, multiline values and whitespace are all preserved. nvault treats config files as opaque data, not dotenv syntax to be re-serialised.
- How does versioning work?
- Each upload of a file creates a new immutable version. You can view metadata for every version, download a previous one, or restore it as the current version. Older encrypted versions remain readable.
- Which files should I store?
- Anything sensitive that your project needs but that you would not commit to Git: .env, .env.local, .env.development, .env.production, service-account JSON, and similar configuration files.
- Is there a command-line interface?
- Yes. Install `@lbharath/nvault` from npm and run `nvault login` — a browser device-code flow signs you in without typing your account password into the terminal. Push, pull, init, and version history work from WSL, SSH, and remote servers. CLI access requires Pro or Team.
- How is the server-side storage protected?
- As defense in depth, every blob the browser uploads is encrypted again on the server under a key that lives only in the deployment environment, never in the database. A stolen database dump on its own is inert.
- What does it cost?
- A personal vault is free — up to 3 projects, the last 2 versions of each file, and 2 signed-in browser sessions, all through the web app. Pro ($10/month) removes every limit for one person: unlimited projects, unlimited version history, terminal CLI access, and more devices. Team unlocks shared, zero-knowledge organizations at one flat price per org, from $29/month, with CLI access for every member. Paid plans are billed through Polar, our Merchant of Record. See the pricing page for details.
Still have a question?