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I looked into Obsidian a few years ago but decided against it due to the lack of encryption and self-hosting options. Are there now any workarounds or solutions

I looked into Obsidian a few years ago but decided against it due to the lack of encryption and self-hosting options. Are there now any workarounds or solutions available that provide encryption and self-hosting capabilities?

bram85 1y ago
https://standardnotes.com/ https://standardnotes.com/ They have a dedicated page that compares with Obsidian here: https://standardnotes.com/compare/obsidian-alternative https://standardnotes.com/compare/obsidian-alternative
wim 1y ago
We’re working on a new IDE but for tasks/notes [1] which is end-to-end-encrypted and optionally self-hostable [1] https://thymer.com https://thymer.com
gdulli 1y ago
https://notesnook.com/ https://notesnook.com/
al_borland 1y ago
Not sure on encryption, but the notes themselves are just files and folders, you can host and sync the files with anything you want. Unless you're talking about wanting it as a self-hosted web app?
- exiguus 1y ago
  My primary concern is the lack of encryption for the notes. This absence of encryption leaves them exposed and vulnerable. Relying on third-party services like Dropbox, iCloud, or similar platforms to sync notes across devices only heightens the potential for data exposure. There is also a Obsidian forum thread about that [1]. I believe the primary issue with nearly all note-taking tools is the lack of genuine encryption. Many claim to use end-to-end encryption, but I find this misleading. End-to-end encryption secures communication, not the data itself. I wouldn't recommend a tool to anyone that doesn't encrypt the data itself to maintain private notes. Its like storing your passwords in plain text. [1] https://forum.obsidian.md/t/local-file-encryption-of-obsidian-mark-down-files/24630/4 https://forum.obsidian.md/t/local-file-encryption-of-obsidia...
  - xxpor 1y ago
    This is such a trivial problem to solve. Full disk encryption, or something like https://github.com/tejado/obsidian-gpgCrypt https://github.com/tejado/obsidian-gpgCrypt
    - exiguus 1y ago
      I like the gpgCrypt approach, but its not trustable.
      - xxpor 1y ago
        Genuinely curious, why? The concept of GPG or something else?
        exiguus 1y ago
        > Warning: Encrypted notes might be stored unencrypted on disk due to Obsidian's caching mechanisms, coredumps, or other reasons. is one statement from the authors of the plugin.
        xxpor 1y ago
        OK, I agree that's bad behavior from Obsidian
  - al_borland 1y ago
    Do you have a current solution that addresses there concerns?
    - exiguus 1y ago
      Currently, I use Joplin, which supports on device encryption and self-hosting. Previously, I relied on tools like git-crypt, TrueCrypt, or LUKS for encryption. However, as far as I know, git-crypt is not secure anymore. And using encrypted containers or file systems has the drawback of being difficult to share once they exceed a certain size.

bram85 1y ago

https://standardnotes.com/ https://standardnotes.com/ They have a dedicated page that compares with Obsidian here: https://standardnotes.com/compare/obsidian-alternative https://standardnotes.com/compare/obsidian-alternative

wim 1y ago

We’re working on a new IDE but for tasks/notes [1] which is end-to-end-encrypted and optionally self-hostable [1] https://thymer.com https://thymer.com

gdulli 1y ago

https://notesnook.com/ https://notesnook.com/

al_borland 1y ago

Not sure on encryption, but the notes themselves are just files and folders, you can host and sync the files with anything you want. Unless you're talking about wanting it as a self-hosted web app?

exiguus 1y ago
My primary concern is the lack of encryption for the notes. This absence of encryption leaves them exposed and vulnerable. Relying on third-party services like Dropbox, iCloud, or similar platforms to sync notes across devices only heightens the potential for data exposure. There is also a Obsidian forum thread about that [1]. I believe the primary issue with nearly all note-taking tools is the lack of genuine encryption. Many claim to use end-to-end encryption, but I find this misleading. End-to-end encryption secures communication, not the data itself. I wouldn't recommend a tool to anyone that doesn't encrypt the data itself to maintain private notes. Its like storing your passwords in plain text. [1] https://forum.obsidian.md/t/local-file-encryption-of-obsidian-mark-down-files/24630/4 https://forum.obsidian.md/t/local-file-encryption-of-obsidia...
- xxpor 1y ago
  This is such a trivial problem to solve. Full disk encryption, or something like https://github.com/tejado/obsidian-gpgCrypt https://github.com/tejado/obsidian-gpgCrypt
  - exiguus 1y ago
    I like the gpgCrypt approach, but its not trustable.
    - xxpor 1y ago
      Genuinely curious, why? The concept of GPG or something else?
      - exiguus 1y ago
        > Warning: Encrypted notes might be stored unencrypted on disk due to Obsidian's caching mechanisms, coredumps, or other reasons. is one statement from the authors of the plugin.
        xxpor 1y ago
        OK, I agree that's bad behavior from Obsidian
- al_borland 1y ago
  Do you have a current solution that addresses there concerns?
  - exiguus 1y ago
    Currently, I use Joplin, which supports on device encryption and self-hosting. Previously, I relied on tools like git-crypt, TrueCrypt, or LUKS for encryption. However, as far as I know, git-crypt is not secure anymore. And using encrypted containers or file systems has the drawback of being difficult to share once they exceed a certain size.