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How TextSafe Works
The mechanics of private text storage, explained plainly.
Saving Text
- Type or paste content into the editor. Formatting and links are preserved.
- Click "Save Text" to receive a randomly generated access code, something like
CANYON-FROST-7842. This code, combined with a color you choose, forms your credentials.
- Select one of 32 colors. This acts as a second factor: knowing the passcode alone is not enough to decrypt your content.
- Choose a retention period: 24 hours, 4 days, or 7 days. When this period ends, the database row containing your encrypted content is deleted by an automated cleanup process.
There is no password recovery. If you forget your passcode or color, the encrypted data remains on the server but cannot be decrypted. It will be automatically deleted when the retention period expires. We cannot help you retrieve it.
Retrieving Text
- Open TextSafe on any device. There is nothing to install and no login screen.
- Click "Retrieve Text" and enter your access code exactly as shown. The code is case-insensitive.
- Select the same color you chose when saving.
- Your content is decrypted locally in your browser and displayed in the editor.
Once retrieved, you can edit the content. Changes are auto-saved after the initial save, so you do not need to repeat the color selection process for subsequent edits.
Technical Details
For those interested in implementation specifics:
Key Derivation
Your passcode and color index are concatenated and processed through PBKDF2 with 100,000 iterations using SHA-256. This produces a 256-bit AES encryption key.
Encryption
Content is encrypted with AES-256-GCM via the Web Crypto API. A cryptographically random 12-byte IV is generated for each save operation.
Storage Identifier
The encryption key is hashed with SHA-256 to create a 64-character hex storage ID. This hash is irreversible.
Data Deletion
A background thread runs every hour, executing DELETE queries against all rows where expires_at < NOW(). Deleted data is not recoverable.
Practical Tips
- Generated passcodes use common English words chosen for memorability. If you do not like yours, click "Shuffle" to generate another.
- Pick a color with personal meaning. "The color of my car" is easier to recall than "the fourth option in row three."
- If sharing access with someone else, communicate the passcode and color through separate channels.
- The Chrome extension provides quicker access for frequent use but is not required.
Two Pieces of Information
A passcode and a color. That is all you need to remember.
Open TextSafe