The storage of your data is a crucial topic of any note-taking app, and with ERA, we take it very seriously. Recently, we received a question on HackerNews about how we store notes in ERA and whether we use a proprietary format for that. In this blog post, we’ll answer this question and give you more information about the storage process.
TL;DR
We are using a SQLite database to store your notes and app settings. The database is located on the user's computer and won't be synced automatically to any cloud service. It can be accessed and inspected using a SQLite-compatible database browser. ERA stores workspaces, drafts (your notes), and internal settings in the database.
SQLite
First and foremost, ERA uses SQLite as an internal database system for storing drafts and app settings. SQLite is a relational database management system that is open-source, portable, and light in weight. Since ERA is designed to be a local note-taking app, the SQLite database is stored on your device, where your notes are also saved.
Database Location
If you’re wondering where to locate the ERA database on your machine, it is stored on different paths depending on your operating system.
- Windows, the database can be found at C:/Users/$USER/era-app/era.db
- MacOS, the database can be found at /Users/$USER/era-app/era.db
- Linux, the database can be found at /home/$USER/era-app/era.db.
In each of these cases, "$USER" is replaced with your username.
Access Your Database
If you’re interested in inspecting the ERA database for yourself, you can do so by opening the "era.db" file with a database browser that supports SQLite. We recommend using DB Browser for SQLite](https://sqlitebrowser.org), a tool that is lightweight, easy to use, and supports all the operating systems mentioned above.
What We Store
Now, let's look at what data is stored inside the ERA database. At the time of writing, the following data is stored:
- Workspaces
- Drafts (your notes)
- Internal settings
Workspaces are an essential feature in ERA, allowing you to group your notes by topic or project. Drafts, on the other hand, are the notes you create within each workspace.
Data Security
In terms of security, we take data privacy very seriously. We have implemented several measures to ensure that your notes and data are protected. All notes and data are stored on your local machine, and ERA doesn't send any of your notes to a remote server or any third-party service.
Conclusion
In summary, we are using SQLite as an internal database system to store drafts, workspaces, and internal settings. The database is stored on your local machine, and you can inspect it using a SQLite browser. We took several measures to ensure that your data is protected and not getting synced. With ERA, you can be assured that your notes are safe and secure.