Local‑First Cloud Sync Guide
AES‑Encrypted Multi‑Device Backups

Chainfolio's encrypted cloud sync lets you backup your portfolio data to Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive— with a critical distinction: encryption happens on your device before any data leaves.

Your cloud provider only sees encrypted blobs. Chainfolio never sees your passphrase or unencrypted data.

Unlike centralized services that store your portfolio on their servers, Chainfolio's sync maintains absolute data sovereignty while providing cross‑device convenience.

How Encrypted Cloud Sync Works

Client‑Side Encryption

All encryption/decryption occurs locally using the Web Crypto API before data touches the network.

  • AES‑256‑GCM – Military‑grade encryption algorithm
  • Key derivation – Your passphrase → encryption key via PBKDF2
  • Authentication tags – Detect tampering during transmission
  • Zero‑knowledge – Chainfolio cannot decrypt your backups

Direct Cloud Integration

Chainfolio communicates directly with cloud providers—no intermediary servers.

  • OAuth 2.0 – You grant Chainfolio limited file‑access permissions
  • Direct API calls – Encrypted data flows browser‑to‑cloud‑provider
  • No middleman – Chainfolio servers never touch your data
  • Revocable access – Revoke Chainfolio's access anytime via provider dashboard

Sync Flow Visualization

  1. Local Serialization – Portfolio data (wallets, transactions, snapshots) is serialized
  2. Compression – Data is compressed using gzip (reduces backup size 70‑90%)
  3. Encryption – AES‑256‑GCM encryption applied using passphrase‑derived key
  4. Cloud Upload – Encrypted blob uploaded directly to your chosen provider
  5. Other Device Download – Encrypted blob downloaded to another device
  6. Decryption & Restore – Enter passphrase to decrypt and restore local state

Step 1: Set Up Your First Encrypted Backup

Initial Configuration

  1. Open Settings → Backup & Sync → Configure Cloud Backup
  2. Select your cloud provider:
    • Google Drive – Recommended for Google ecosystem users
    • Microsoft OneDrive – Integrated with Windows/Office 365
    • Dropbox – Cross‑platform compatibility
    • Box – Enterprise‑focused with strong security
    • Custom WebDAV – Self‑hosted or other compatible storage
  3. Click Connect to [Provider] – Opens OAuth consent screen
  4. Review permissions (typically "Create and access files in your [Provider]")
  5. Grant access – You'll be redirected back to Chainfolio

Create Encryption Passphrase

This is the most critical step. Your passphrase never leaves your device.

  • Minimum 12 characters – Longer is more secure
  • Include numbers & symbols – Increases entropy
  • Consider a passphrase – "correct‑horse‑battery‑staple" style
  • Store securely – Password manager or physical backup
  • Never share – Without passphrase, backups are cryptographically secure

Warning: If you lose your passphrase, your backups are unrecoverable. Chainfolio cannot reset or recover it—by design.

Perform First Backup

  1. After configuring provider and passphrase, click Create Initial Backup
  2. Chainfolio shows backup size estimate (typically 5‑50MB depending on history)
  3. Confirm you want to proceed – First backup may take 30‑60 seconds
  4. Monitor progress:
    • Serializing local data – Converting IndexedDB to JSON
    • Compressing – Reducing size before encryption
    • Encrypting – Applying AES‑256‑GCM
    • Uploading – Sending encrypted blob to cloud
  5. Success notification with timestamp and backup ID

Step 2: Configure Automatic Sync

Backup Frequency Options

Chainfolio can automatically backup based on your preferences:

  • Manual only – You trigger backups when desired
  • After every sync – Backup when new portfolio data arrives
  • Daily – Once per day during low‑activity hours
  • Weekly – Once per week (smaller backup footprint)
  • On significant changes – When portfolio value changes > 5%

Backup Retention Policy

Control how many historical backups are kept:

  • Keep all – Unlimited backups (uses more cloud storage)
  • Rolling 7 days – Auto‑delete backups older than 7 days
  • Rolling 30 days – Balance between history and storage
  • Keep last 5 – Always maintain 5 most recent backups
  • Smart retention – Keep daily for 7 days, weekly for 30 days, monthly forever

Configuring Automatic Sync

  1. Navigate to Settings → Backup & Sync → Automatic Backup
  2. Toggle Enable Automatic Backups to ON
  3. Select frequency (daily, weekly, after sync, etc.)
  4. Configure retention policy
  5. Set backup window (e.g., "Only between 2AM‑4AM local time")
  6. Enable/disable backup on mobile data (conserves data plans)
  7. Save configuration – Next backup will occur per schedule

Step 3: Restore to Another Device

Multi‑Device Setup Process

To sync your portfolio across desktop, laptop, and mobile:

  1. Install Chainfolio on new device (web app or mobile via Capacitor)
  2. Skip initial wallet setup – Choose "Restore from backup" instead
  3. Connect same cloud provider – Use same Google Drive/Dropbox account
  4. Select backup to restore – Chainfolio shows available backups with timestamps
  5. Enter encryption passphrase – Must match original backup passphrase
  6. Wait for restore – Downloads, decrypts, and imports portfolio data
  7. Verify synchronization – Check wallets, transactions, and settings match

What Gets Synced

  • Wallet addresses – All tracked Ethereum and Solana addresses
  • Transaction history – Complete on‑chain transaction records
  • Portfolio snapshots – Historical balance data (19,500+ in demo)
  • RPC configurations – Your custom endpoints and load‑balancing settings
  • Alert definitions – Custom alert rules and thresholds
  • Whale watchlist – Tracked whales and custom tags
  • UI preferences – Theme, layout, chart settings

What Doesn't Sync

  • Browser‑specific data – LocalStorage session tokens
  • Device‑specific settings – Notification permissions, camera access
  • Temporary cache – Chart rendering cache, in‑memory buffers
  • Cloud provider tokens – OAuth tokens are per‑device
  • Encryption passphrase – Never stored anywhere (you must remember it)

Step 4: Advanced Sync Scenarios

Multiple Cloud Providers

Configuration: Chainfolio supports backing up to multiple providers simultaneously for redundancy. Access via Settings → Backup & Sync → Add Additional Provider.

Selective Sync

Configuration: Choose which data types to include/exclude from backups. Example: Sync wallets and transactions but exclude whale watchlist.

Conflict Resolution

Behavior: If two devices modify data simultaneously, Chainfolio uses "last write wins" with backup preservation. Older versions are kept as separate backup files.

Export/Import Without Cloud

Alternative: Manually export encrypted backup file and transfer via USB/email. Access via Settings → Backup & Sync → Export Encrypted Backup.

Security & Privacy Considerations

Zero‑Knowledge Architecture

  • Chainfolio cannot decrypt your backups – Encryption keys never leave your device
  • Cloud providers see only encrypted blobs – They cannot read your portfolio data
  • No metadata leakage – Backup filenames are generic (e.g., "backup_2026‑03‑13_encrypted.bin")
  • Revocable access – You can revoke Chainfolio's cloud access anytime via provider dashboard
  • Local passphrase verification – Chainfolio never transmits or validates your passphrase

Backup Integrity

  • Checksum verification – Detect corruption during transmission
  • Authentication tags – AES‑GCM provides tamper detection
  • Version compatibility – Backups include Chainfolio version for restore validation
  • Incremental validation – During restore, data integrity is verified before import

Best Practices

  • Use strong passphrase – 16+ characters with mix of character types
  • Backup your passphrase – In password manager AND physical secure location
  • Enable 2FA on cloud provider – Adds layer of protection
  • Regular test restores – Periodically verify backups are working
  • Monitor storage usage – Large transaction histories can consume cloud storage

Troubleshooting Sync Issues

"Invalid Passphrase" on Restore

Solution: Verify caps lock is off. If passphrase is definitely correct, the backup may be corrupted or from different Chainfolio version.

Slow Backup/Upload

Solution: Large transaction histories (10,000+ transactions) create larger backups. Consider excluding old transaction data or increasing backup frequency to keep sizes smaller.

Cloud Provider Connection Lost

Solution: OAuth tokens expire periodically. Re‑authenticate via Settings → Backup & Sync → Reconnect to [Provider].

Device‑Specific Data Missing After Restore

Explanation: Some settings (notification permissions, local RPC cache) are device‑specific by design for security and performance reasons.

Secure Your Portfolio Across Devices
With Zero‑Knowledge Encryption

No accounts. No servers. No telemetry. Just your device and your encrypted backups.

Set Up Encrypted Backups Now Next: Track Smart Money Wallets →

Explore Related Guides

RPC Load Balancer Setup

Backup your RPC configuration across devices

Zero‑Telemetry Architecture

How Chainfolio maintains privacy during sync

Crypto Background Alerts

Get alerts for backup failures