Hi all,
I saw some topic last year, but the problem does not seem to have a working solution in 2021.
Like many of us here, I tried different solutions for the note encryption to be able to use the notes in a “less protected” environment - basically outside of a fully encrypted container with the ability to do the incremental sync of the files.
Cryptomator seems to be (theoretically) the most working free solution out there that can fully support the sync of several machines, including several Windows and Android devices, without any limitation on how many and what services I want to use. (Obsidian for Android does not allow to work inside the encrypted Cryptomator vault, but no other solution that I saw allows that anyways, so we are limited to a simple Markdown editor in the Cryptomator app currently). So when I am using Dropbox - Sync - Syncthing - Onedrive combination, it just works.
At the same time, there are 2 limitations that Cryptomator has, and they are completely killing the joy from experience.
Dokany, as a virtual file system, is very slow. The speed of any file operation is so low that opening the vault in Obsidian with combined data (.md, .png, .pdf) takes between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on the machine. I uninstalled the one coming with Cryptomator, re-installed it, no noticeable boost. Sometimes it becomes so slow that I am typing faster than letters appear on the screen, and it happens only in the encrypted vault, even with all synchronizing apps shut down. The insert of the screenshot from the clipboards takes up to 10 seconds.
WebDAV is not supported by Obsidian right now. At the same time, for any serious file operations, like copy big directory, it remains the only reasonable option to use in the file explorer because the speed differs several times.
Boxcryptor, as an alternative, does not have any of the issues above but has its own downsides - it is not free for more than two devices and one service (which is a smaller problem) and is not open source, which makes its future depending on the service provider. The latter contradicts the idea of having a lasting future-proof knowledge database for me.
So here is the summary of my simple requirements:
- The notes container should be encrypted all time when it is not in use, including on Android devices. In case of device loss or unauthorized access to the device, the notes should remain safe.
- There should be a synchronization, even if it is the simple folder-to-folder sync, like Syncthing.
- The speed and the comfort of use should be acceptable.
Your thoughts, ideas, or ready solutions will be very much appreciated.