Reference
Data & Storage
ReticulOS is local-first by architecture, not by setting. Your device is the source of truth: your data is saved right on your device — and stays yours — and your day-to-day work doesn't depend on an internet connection. Multi-device sync is on the roadmap, and it will be optional — on your terms.
Your data lives on your device
Every collection, cell, image, and note you save is stored locally on your machine, so capturing, organizing, and searching all happen right on your device. We never see your content, and we don't collect personal data.
Everything is encrypted
Your data isn't just local — it's locked. ReticulOS encrypts everything it stores with AES-256, the same encryption standard used by banks and governments. The key that unlocks it is protected by your operating system's own secure login, so unlocking your computer is what unlocks your data. Nobody who copies the files off your disk can read them.
Good to know: full protection relies on your desktop's built-in security features, which mainstream Linux desktops provide out of the box. On unusual setups without them, protection is reduced — a passphrase-based option for those systems is on the roadmap.
Upgrading from an older version
If you used a ReticulOS version from before encryption shipped, your existing data is upgraded automatically the first time v0.8.0 starts. A safety backup is created before anything is touched, and all your collections and cells come through exactly as they were. You don't need to do anything.
What ReticulOS remembers
- Your content — collections and cells, including titles, formatting, pins, colors, and where you placed cards on the canvas.
- Your layout — the size and position of both windows, so everything reopens exactly where you left it.
- Your preferences — dark mode, glass effect, sidebar state, per-collection view modes, and your last open collection.
Backups and moving machines
On the same computer, your regular system backup covers ReticulOS along with the rest of your home folder. Moving your data to a different computer is deliberately not as simple as copying files — that's the encryption doing its job. A one-click full export (readable Markdown plus JSON) for migrating and archiving your data is in development.
Privacy, in short
- We never see your content.
- We don't collect personal data. Usage stats, if enabled, are anonymous and opt-in — off by default.
- Deleting something deletes it.
Read the full privacy policy.