nowfound

Dev tools · July 11, 2026

HS

Hidetext.sh – encrypted pastebin where the server never sees the key

Hi HN! I built hidetext.sh — a way to share text, code, and files through links the server can't read. How it works: your browser generates a random key and encrypts everything locally (NaCl secretbox, XSalsa20-Poly1305). Only ciphertext is uploaded. The key goes into the URL fragment — the part after # — which browsers never send to servers. The link carries the key, my server stores the locked box, and the two only meet in a browser. A design detail I'm fairly happy with: burn-after-read doesn't destroy the paste on the first HTTP request. The naive version means a Slack or iMessage link…

What it does

In the maker’s words, at launch

Hi HN! I built hidetext.sh — a way to share text, code, and files through links the server can't read. How it works: your browser generates a random key and encrypts everything locally (NaCl secretbox, XSalsa20-Poly1305). Only ciphertext is uploaded. The key goes into the URL fragment — the part after # — which browsers never send to servers. The link carries the key, my server stores the locked box, and the two only meet in a browser. A design detail I'm fairly happy with: burn-after-read doesn't destroy the paste on the first HTTP request. The naive version means a Slack or iMessage link preview "reads" your paste before the recipient ever opens it. Instead, the reader's tab sends a heartbeat, and the paste is deleted only once nobody is watching it anymore. Being upfront about the limits (full page at hidetext.sh/how-it-works): you're trusting the JavaScript I serve — inherent to any browser-based E2E tool; filenames are stored in plaintext (contents aren't); and anyone holding the link can read the content, because the link is the key. No accounts, no cookies, no analytics, IPs aren't stored. Stack: Next.js static on Cloudflare Pages, Pages Functions, D1 for metadata, R2 for encrypted blobs. It's free. I'd love feedback — especially on the threat model and anything you'd expect from a tool like this that's missing.

Does the same job

all alternatives →
  • Burner NoteJan 2026 · ▲222

    Zero knowledge self destructing notes

  • BurnLinkMar 2026 · ▲87

    Share encrypted files that are ephemeral

  • BURN.link2020 · ▲170

    Send secure, encrypted, self-destructing messages

  • Secure Send for Slack2020 · ▲75

    Send files securely without leaving your Slack channel!

  • TextBin2024 · ▲122

    Open Source alternative to PasteBin

  • Crypton.sh - SMS2018 · ▲85

    Secure Anonymous SMS in the cloud (and a phone number)

More dev tools this month

the category →
  • Dograh592

    The open source VAPI alternative

    Dev tools · 25d ago · dograh.com

  • Meridian530

    Don't let your work go unnoticed. Get promoted!

    Dev tools · 20d ago · meridiona.com

  • x1516

    Lovable for iPhone apps go from idea to App Store

    Dev tools · 11d ago · x1.new

  • Open-source GTM skills for technical founders

    Dev tools · 29d ago · gtmcofounder.com

  • OpenTrailPaper is open-source bike computer firmware for the LilyGO T5S3 4.7" E-Paper PRO. It supports offline maps, GPX routes, FIT recording and Bluetooth sensors.

    Dev tools · 1d ago · opentrailpaper.com

  • Nuphos380

    The AI-Native DevOps Workspace.

    Dev tools · 24d ago · nuphos.ai

Launched alongside, July 2026

the whole month →
  • IR

    I might be the only SRE on Earth with his own bowling center. It's a more in-depth gig than you'd think. My family and I bought an abandoned 8-lane bowling center in the rural mid-west. In our small town there weren't many recreation options for families. You've heard of a food desert? This is an R&R desert. It had been abandoned for a good reason. The roof leaks, the electrical system was constantly surging, and my 70-year-old bowling equipment (still) doesn't work perfectly. The system that keeps your score is particularly interesting to me. It's the thing you watch during your game, but…

    Life & fun · Jul 2026

  • E
    Elevators1,680

    Life & fun · Jul 2026 · john.fun

  • 1W
    18 Words1,160

    Life & fun · Jul 2026 · 18words.com

  • BA

    Over the past few months, our team has been building more and more slidedecks using web frontend technologies with coding harnesses like Claude Code, but a common complaint is to make even small edits we need to edit the code either manually or via the harness. To avoid this loop, I ended up creating Bento, a single HTML file with everything you need in a slide tool including animations and shared editing. There's no install or cloud login, everything works offline. The default deck is around 560 KB and it doesn't need to fetch anything once you got it. Open it in a browser and then you can…

    Dev tools · Jul 2026 · bento.page

  • GG

    A few days ago I found myself trying out GLM 5.2 and was really positively impressed. The capabilities and security I was getting from this LLM are similar to those I've gotten from models like Claude or GPT, and this really surprised me. But then I thought, "I wonder how it would work on a normal computer like mine," and above all, "I wonder if it would work without going into OOM on a computer like mine." So I started working with the help of agents to test this possibility. I started converting the model to int4, understanding MTP usage, and if possible implementing DSA for long context.…

    AI · Jul 2026 · github.com

  • OpenSEO934

    The open source Ahrefs alternative

    Dev tools · Jul 2026 · openseo.so