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What Are Secrets?

Secrets are a secure way to store sensitive information you need to access but want to keep private—like a digital safe for your important information.

What Can You Store?​

Store various types of sensitive information:

  • Passwords - Account passwords, Wi-Fi passwords, device passwords
  • Access Codes - Security codes, PINs, entry codes
  • Account Numbers - Account numbers, membership numbers, reference numbers
  • Other Sensitive Info - Any other information you want to keep secure

Why Use Secrets?​

Security​

  • Encrypted storage - Military-grade encryption
  • Secure access - Only you and authorized household members can view secrets
  • No plain text - Secrets are never stored in readable form
  • Audit trail - We log when secrets are accessed (but not their values)

Organization​

  • Categorize - Organize by type (password, access code, etc.)
  • Tag - Add tags to find secrets quickly
  • Describe - Add descriptions to remember what each secret is for
  • Search - Quickly find secrets when needed

Convenience​

  • Access anywhere - View from any device
  • Share securely - Share with household members when needed
  • Never lose - Safely stored and backed up

How Secrets Work​

Adding a Secret​

New secret form showing fields for name, category, and value New secret form showing fields for name, category, and value
  1. Enter the information you want to store
  2. Choose a category (password, access code, etc.)
  3. Add a name and optional description
  4. Add tags to help organize it
  5. Save—your secret is immediately encrypted and stored securely

Viewing a Secret​

Secrets list page showing encrypted secrets with categories and tags Secrets list page showing encrypted secrets with categories and tags

  1. Find the secret in your secrets list

  2. Click to view it

  3. The secret is decrypted securely and shown to you

  4. You can copy it or view related information

Important: Secrets are only decrypted when you explicitly request to view them. They're never shown in lists or search results.

Sharing Secrets​

Secrets are automatically shared with household members:

  • Available to all household members (based on their roles)
  • Only members you've invited can access secrets
  • You control who can view and manage secrets through household roles

Best Practices​

Organizing Secrets​

  • Use clear names so you can find them easily
  • Add descriptions to remember what each secret is for
  • Use tags to group related items
  • Use the right category for each secret

Security​

  • Only share secrets with people who need them
  • Periodically review who has access to your household
  • Use strong passwords for accounts
  • Consider keeping a separate backup of critical secrets

What to Store​

Good to store:

  • Wi-Fi passwords
  • Device access codes
  • Account passwords (if you prefer digital storage)
  • Membership numbers
  • Security codes

Consider alternatives:

  • Financial account numbers (consider using a dedicated password manager)
  • Social Security numbers (only if absolutely necessary)
  • Credit card numbers (consider using payment methods that don't require storage)

Privacy Note​

Your secrets are protected with multiple layers of security:

  • Secure transmission - Secrets are sent over encrypted HTTPS connections (TLS/SSL)
  • Server-side encryption - Immediately encrypted using AES-256-GCM encryption before storage
  • Unique initialization vectors - Each secret gets its own unique IV, ensuring identical secrets encrypt differently
  • Encrypted at rest - Secrets are stored in encrypted form in our database
  • Secure key storage - The encryption key is stored securely and is never stored in the database with the encrypted data
  • Access control - Only you and authorized household members can decrypt and view secrets
  • No plain text storage - Secrets are never stored in readable form