🔐 CryptoVault — End‑to‑End‑Encrypted Image Vaults

CryptoVault is a full‑stack web application that lets you create personal vaults and store images securely.
Every file is encrypted in your browser with AES‑256 before it ever leaves your device, then stored on IPFS for tamper‑proof availability.

“Your memories, your vault.”

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🚀 Features

Category	Highlights
🔒Security	• Client‑side AES‑256 encryption • Custom key‑management (no MetaMask required) • JWT‑secured API
🗂 Vaults	• Create unlimited vaults • Search & sort by name, date, or image count
☁️Storage	• IPFS integration for decentralized hosting • Image metadata saved in MongoDB
✨ UX	• Framer Motion animations • Responsive Tailwind design

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🛠 Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Front‑end	React + Vite, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Framer Motion
Back‑end	Node.js, Express, MongoDB
Security	AES‑256 encryption, JWT authentication
Storage	IPFS (via Pinata SDK)

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📂 Project Structure

/
├── client/ # React + Vite front‑end
│   └── src/
│       ├── components/
│       ├── hooks/
│       ├── pages/
│       └── utils/ # encryption & IPFS helpers
├── server/ # Express back‑end
│   └── src/
│       ├── controllers/
│       ├── models/ # Vault, Image, User
│       ├── routes/ # /api/vault, /api/image, /api/auth
│       └── utils/
└── README.md

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🌍 Live Deployment

Front‑end App	Back‑end API
🔗 Visit CryptoVault	🔗 Start Backend

⚠️ Disclaimer: Please start the backend by visiting the link above before opening the frontend.
The UI relies on live API endpoints for vault listings, key decryption, and uploads.

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📦 API Overview (JWT‑protected)

Method	Route	Purpose
POST	/api/authentication	Obtain JWT after signature verification
POST	/api/vault	Create a new vault
GET	/api/vault/:address	Fetch vaults owned by a user
POST	/api/upload	Upload encrypted image metadata

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🔒 Encryption Flow

[Browser]
┌──────────┐  generate AES key  ┌────────────┐
│  Image   │──► Encrypt (AES) ─►│ Ciphertext │──► IPFS
└──────────┘                    └────────────┘
         │
         └─► Encrypt AES key (custom method)
                ▼
           send to backend

Upload: Client encrypts file → uploads cipher to IPFS → sends IPFS hash + encrypted key to API.
Download: Client requests encrypted key → decrypts locally → downloads cipher from IPFS → decrypts image.

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🧠 Resume‑Ready Highlights

• 🛡️ Built a secure full‑stack image vault platform with client‑side AES‑256 encryption and IPFS‑based decentralized storage.
• ⚙️ Designed and implemented a custom key management workflow, removing dependency on MetaMask while maintaining security.
• 🧩 Integrated a searchable vault dashboard with advanced UI components (pagination, filtering, animations) using Framer Motion and Tailwind CSS.

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🖼️ Home Page Banner

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Built with ❤️ to keep your images private and permanent.