Dave: The web version still uses CloudKit, but you have no local files, since it's running in the browser, just a local cache from where NotePlan will load the notes and then fetch from CloudKit if needed. However, if you are using it with the native version (on some device), that will have the notes stored as local files. No matter if you created them in the web version or in the native.

Additionally, but optionally we are building a third-party database for syncing, but that's primarily for non-Apple users and for teamspaces (since sharing is important for teams and CloudKit has some limitations).

We are using "Supabase" for syncing and storing non-Apple data (if you choose to login through email instead of Apple ID). The data is encrypted at rest on the database (as per Supabase documentation) and secured through "RLS" policies, which make sure a user can only access his data, not other people's data.

Eduard Metzger: Thanks Eduard. I rephrase to ensure I understood properly for the webapp privacy because I still have some doubts:

1- For browsers on Mac devices, only Apple Cloudkit servers will be used to access user's data directly from the browser after manual Apple ID login. No permanent local data, no 3rd party web servers, only local cached data. We stay 100% in Apple private architecture.

2- For browsers on non mac devices, you adopt a webapp architecture. So you are setting up a Supabase database on a server of your choice to replace Cloudkit Apple servers. This becomes a web server architecture independent from Apple architecture (can use email login). Data is synced with and stored in your server database and cached locally in the browser.

Is my understanding correct ?

So the webapp can target users outside of the apple Ecosystem, but my concern is about losing current privacy feature:

3- The privacy policies of third-party servers and Apple cloudkit's privacy policy are not the same, not by a long shot. (I have unfortunately experienced it)

4- You bridge data between Apple's architecture and your 3rd party server, so you lose the privacy protection of Apple's architecture. Will we be able to prevent the sync from Apple to the 3rd party server?

Am I wrong somewhere?

Cheers

Dave: It’s not quite correct. The browser or operating system doesn’t matter, you just need an Apple ID to keep using CloudKit. If you login with your Apple ID, it’s CloudKit.

Eduard Metzger: True, now CloudKit JS allows different browsers on diferent OSs to connect with Apple ID and fetch data.

Then, are there any cases when the Noteplan data for an Apple user is copied from Cloudkit into the Supabase database ? (like collaboration of an Apple user with a non apple user?)

(By the way, +1 vote here for adding E2E encryption for total peace of mind.)

Dave: Data is not copied. They'll stay separated. Teamspaces are on Supabase and private data is optionally on CloudKit or Supabase (depending which login you are using).

Collaboration stays strictly in Supabase.