Docs
Security & the vault
How the end-to-end encrypted credentials vault works: passphrase, unlocking, and what happens on reset.
Store credentials — your App Store Connect API key and Google Play service account — are the most sensitive data in AppBoard. They live in an end-to-end encrypted vault that only you can unlock.
How the vault works
The vault's encryption key is derived from a passphrase you set, scoped to your workspace. Credentials are encrypted before they reach the database, and they can only be decrypted while the vault is unlocked with your passphrase. Store credentials cannot be saved outside the vault — there is no plaintext fallback.
Unlocking
You unlock the vault by entering your passphrase. While it's locked, AppBoard can't decrypt your keys, so any action that needs to reach a store is refused and the interface prompts you to unlock first. Unlock once and AppBoard can use the credentials for that session.
Resetting the vault
If you forget the passphrase, the only path forward is a reset — and a reset wipes the vault and every stored credential. There is no recovery code and no backdoor; that's what makes the vault end-to-end encrypted. After a reset you reconnect your stores and set a new passphrase.
Heads up:resetting the vault permanently destroys all stored credentials with no recovery. Keep your passphrase in a password manager, and only reset if you're prepared to reconnect every store.
Practical tips
- Store the passphrase in a password manager before you save any key.
- Expect to unlock the vault when you start working with store data in a new session.
- Losing the .p8 or service account JSON isn't catastrophic — you can revoke and regenerate them at the store and re-add the connection.