I’m building Haven Vault: an open source home for private files

Description and use

Haven Vault is an open‑source personal vault that encrypts data client‑side and runs in a user’s own Firebase project, separating authentication from decryption and supporting automatic locking.

Problem

Users need a secure, private file storage solution that encrypts data client‑side and can be self‑hosted.

Outcome

Haven Vault provides a single‑owner, client‑side encrypted storage solution that separates authentication from decryption, supports automatic locking, and runs in a user’s own Firebase project.

Workflow

• 1. Clone the repo and install dependencies with pnpm.
• 2. Run the local demo with pnpm dev and access http://127.0.0.1:5173/?demo=1.
• 3. For real encrypted storage, set up a Firebase project (Blaze billing) and follow the Firebase setup guide.
• 4. Use passkey sign‑in to authenticate; enter vault passphrase to unlock and decrypt data in the browser.
• 5. Automatic locking clears local secrets after a configurable grace period or inactivity timeout.

Evidence

Haven Vault is an open source personal vault that encrypts your content in the browser and runs in your own Firebase project.

Source

One design decision worth sharing is the separation between signing in and unlocking the vault.

Source

Haven uses React, TypeScript, Vite, Firebase, SimpleWebAuthn, and the Web Crypto API.

Source

Haven is still evolving and has not received an independent security audit.

Source