About VanishNote.me Technology

About VanishNote.me

VanishNote.me provides a simple and secure way to share sensitive information through self-destructing notes. Once a note is created, a unique, unguessable link is generated. This link is the only way to access the note content.

How It Works - The Technology

1. Note Creation & Encryption: When you submit a note, the content is immediately encrypted on our servers using strong, industry-standard encryption algorithms (e.g., AES-256). This means the raw note content is never stored in plaintext.
2. Temporary Storage: The encrypted note data is stored temporarily in our secure database. We associate it with a randomly generated, unique identifier.
3. Unique Link Generation: A unique URL containing this identifier is generated and presented to you. This link is not guessable and is the *only* key to retrieve the note. https://vanishnote.me/note/[unique_identifier]
4. Secure Retrieval & Decryption: When someone visits the unique link, our server retrieves the corresponding encrypted note data. The data is decrypted just before being displayed to the user over a secure HTTPS connection.
5. Self-Destruction Logic: This is the core feature. Based on the parameters you set during creation:
   • View Limit: Each time the note is successfully retrieved and displayed, we decrement an internal counter. When the counter reaches zero (meaning it has been viewed the maximum allowed times), the encrypted note data is permanently deleted from our database.
   • Time Limit: A timestamp is stored when the note is created. Periodically, our system checks for notes that have passed their expiration time. Expired notes are permanently deleted, regardless of the remaining view count.
   Once deleted, the data is irrecoverable. Even if someone tries to access the same unique link again, the server will find no corresponding data and will indicate that the note does not exist or has expired.
6. Minimal Logging: We consciously minimize logging. We do not log the content of notes or associate IP addresses with specific notes after they are deleted. Logging is restricted to what's essential for service operation, security monitoring (e.g., rate limiting, detecting abuse), and debugging.

Security & Privacy Focus

The entire process is designed with privacy and security as top priorities. By encrypting data at rest, using secure HTTPS for transmission, generating unique/unguessable links, and ensuring permanent deletion after expiry, we aim to provide a trustworthy platform for temporary information sharing.

Remember, the security of the note also depends on how you handle the unique link. Share it only with the intended recipient(s) through a secure channel.