Ark is an experimental, open-source project building a new model for long-term digital archiving on the Autonomi Network. Forget subscriptions and relying on third parties - Ark aims to give you permanent control and secure ownership of your digital history.
This repository contains a Proof-of-Concept demonstrating the core ideas and technical potential of the Ark architecture.
v0.0.2 is out:
The next release of Ark is out - v0.0.2!
It’s still early days, but the foundation is getting stronger and the pieces are falling into place. There’s been a lot of progress under the hood in just a week - the cryptographic components are improving and things are getting more flexible.
A couple of new user-facing things to play with:
- Ark Details: The CLI now lets you see detailed information about an Ark using any of its authorized keys -
Helm Key,Data Key,Worker Key- or theArk Seed- Vault Creation: You can now create vaults directly from the CLI. This includes setting which bridge is authorized and what type of object the vault will handle: filesystem (POSIX/Windows), email (IMAP/Gmail), or object storage (S3).
Overall development is progressing really well! Soon, work will start on the
Ark Engine. Once a basic version is out,Arks premise will start to become much clearer and more self-evident.
Warning: This is a Proof-of-Concept and is NOT ready for storing any data. This code is unstable and represents an early exploration of the concepts.
The goal of this prototype is to validate the core cryptographic design, data handling flows, and interaction patterns with the Autonomi Network.
Creating a new Ark:
Creating a new Vault:
Rotate Keys:
Accessing Ark Details using an authorized key:
more Screenshots: v0.0.2, v0.0.1
Ark is prototyping a future where:
- You own your data, permanently: No more recurring fees just to keep your files accessible. Pay once, and your data is designed to last for decades on a decentralized network.
- You control access: Your data is encrypted, and only you (or those you authorize) hold the keys needed for decryption.
- Recovery is always in your hands: Access and restore your entire archive any time using only a 24-word secret you
keep safe offline - your
Ark Seed. - Your data is secure from online threats: A unique key system ensures that the online tools managing your archive cannot decrypt your sensitive data.
- You can archive anything: A flexible design lets you connect and archive data from almost any source.
Your archive's security begins with your Ark Seed - a 24-word secret you create and keep safe offline. This Seed
is the cryptographic root for everything related to your Ark. It's designed so that you can derive all other necessary
keys and locate your data on the network using only this Seed, ensuring recovery is always independent of any service
provider. Your Ark Seed is your recovery plan!
Ark uses a layered system of keys, all derived from your Ark Seed. This hierarchy is designed to be both secure and
practical:
- The
Helm Keyis used for administrative tasks andWorker Keyrotation. - The
Data Keyis the ultimate key needed to decrypt your archived files and always stays with you. - The
Worker Keyis held by the onlineArk Enginesoftware that manages your archive operations. Crucially, theWorker Keycannot decrypt your actual data. - This separation means that even if the
Ark Engineor the server it runs on is compromised, your sensitive data remains protected because the attacker doesn't have yourData Key. - Because all keys are derived from your
Ark Seed, you can recover or rotate (generate new) keys if needed, using only your original Seed.
Bridges: Modular components that connect to specific data sources (file system, IMAP, S3, etc.). They identify changes, break data into content-defined chunks (CDC), encrypt these chunks, and stream the encrypted data to the Engine.Ark Engine: The core process that receives encrypted data from Bridges and manages their upload to Autonomi. The Engine never has access to your plaintext data.- Global Deduplication: Ark's use of content-defined-chunking, combined with Autonomi's content addressing, means that if an exact chunk of data already exists anywhere on the Autonomi Network (uploaded by anyone), it doesn't need to be uploaded or paid for again. This makes archiving increasingly efficient network-wide.
Ark is built directly on the Autonomi Network, leveraging its foundational capabilities:
- Permanent Data Storage: Ark uses Autonomi's immutable data types designed for long-term persistence and the " pay-once-store-forever" economic model to offer archives without recurring fees.
- Network-Wide Deduplication: Autonomi's content addressing ensures that identical data chunks uploaded by any user, anywhere, are stored only once. Ark is designed to benefit directly from this.
- Native Cryptography: Autonomi provides the tools for deterministic key derivation and secure key management essential for Ark's self-sovereign design.
This repository contains a Proof-of-Concept implementation including:
ark-core: Shared library with core logic.ark-cli: Command-line interface tool.ark-engine: The core daemon process.ark-transport: Transport mechanisms for communication betweenArk Engine&Bridge.bridge: An example Bridge for local filesystems.
GNU GPLv3 - This code is experimental and provided for review and contribution. It should not be used for production or storing data.
Disclaimer: This is experimental software demonstrating concepts - it is not functional for real-world archiving.