Show HN: Stash: End-to-end encrypted file sharing with zero friction (opens in new tab)

(stash-app.xyz)

3 pointsalepacheco-dev2mo ago1 comments

I built Stash because I was tired of the usual tradeoff in file sharing: either force recipients to create accounts or give up on privacy.

How it works 1. Upload from the iOS, iPad or Mac app 2. Get a shareable link 3. Recipients download in the browser, no app, no account, nothing to install

Encryption model Files are encrypted on device using AES 256 GCM before upload. The encryption key lives only in the URL fragment (after #), which browsers never send to servers. Even if the link is intercepted in transit, the file cannot be decrypted without the fragment. The server never sees plaintext or keys.

Native Mac app Built with Mac Catalyst and full bidirectional drag and drop. Drag files onto the app to upload. Drag files out of the app to save them anywhere. No save dialogs, no friction. It feels like moving files in Finder.

What I optimized for • No file size limits • No compression, original quality preserved • Links do not expire unless you delete them • Native Apple UX for senders, universal browser access for recipients

The goal was something my non technical family could use to receive files securely without walkthroughs, accounts or app installs.

I would love feedback on the encryption approach and the UX, especially from people who have built or reviewed similar systems.

Web: https://stash-app.xyz

1 comments

Privavault2mo ago

The zero-knowledge architecture here is solid. One thing I've been wrestling with in this space is balancing truly zero-knowledge encryption with features users expect, like full-text search and smart organization.

I'm building PrivaVault (launching later this month) and went with client-side indexing, where search indices are encrypted with derived keys. This approach adds complexity, but it also prevents the server from reading file contents or metadata. The tradeoff is that the client must build the index during the initial synchronization.

I'm curious about your approach to managing search in Stash. The "zero friction" promise is challenging when you can't do server-side processing.

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