What is Sietch?
Sietch is a decentralized, encrypted vault system for operating in hostile, degraded, or disconnected environments. Sync data securely across machines—LAN, sneakernet, weak WiFi—without the cloud, without authorities watching.
Why Sietch?
Sietch was created for situations where:
- Internet is scarce, censored, or unreliable
- Data privacy is a necessity, not a feature
- You’re mobile, semi-offline, or operating in contested spaces
Sietch imagines what a file system would look like in a world more like Arrakis than San Francisco.
Key Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Decentralized Vaults | Self-contained, encrypted vaults that sync over LAN, sneakernet (USB drives), or weak WiFi |
| Offline-First | Works fully offline; no dependency on central servers or cloud infrastructure |
| Strong Encryption | Files are chunked and encrypted using AES-256-GCM or GPG-compatible keys |
| Peer-to-Peer Sync | Rsync-style syncing over TCP or LibP2P, transferring only missing or changed chunks |
| Gossip Discovery | Lightweight peer discovery protocol for LAN environments |
| CLI-First UX | Fast, minimal CLI to manage vaults and syncs |
How Does It Work?
- Vaults:
Portable encrypted containers: internal keys, chunked storage, encrypted manifest. Treat vaults as tactical units—self-sufficient, deniable. - Chunking & Deduplication:
Files are split into chunks by default. Identical chunks are deduplicated—store once, sync smarter. - Encryption:
Each chunk is encrypted at rest.
1.Symmetric passphrase (AES-256-GCM) ref link
2.Asymmetric GPG-compatible keypair ref link - Peer Discovery:
Vaults discover peers over LAN via UDP gossip. Or whitelist IPs manually. - Syncing:
Only changed/missing chunks are synced, using rsync-inspired delta transfer over secure TCP with optional compression.
Who is Sietch For?
- Investigative journalists protecting sources and evidence
- Sysadmins and security engineers backing up credentials and configs
- Human rights defenders sharing sensitive material across trust networks
- Anyone who needs resilient, private, and portable data storage