LegacyShield

What is LegacyShield?

LegacyShield is a privacy-first, zero-knowledge document vault for storing critical files—passports, wills, insurance policies, property deeds—with built-in emergency access for loved ones. It uses client-side encryption and 100% European hosting (Hetzner, Germany) to ensure data never leaves EU soil. Designed for individuals who need secure, accessible, and GDPR-compliant storage for their most important documents.

How to use LegacyShield?

Clone the monorepo, run npm install, start infrastructure (PostgreSQL, Redis, MinIO) via docker compose up -d, copy .env.example to .env, initialize the database with npm run db:migrate, then start development servers with npm run dev. The frontend is at http://localhost:3000 and the API at http://localhost:4000. Production deployment is handled via Hetzner Cloud and GitHub Actions.

Key features of LegacyShield

• Zero-knowledge encryption (files encrypted in browser before upload)
• Emergency access for loved ones via unlock phrase (read-only)
• 100% EU hosting (Hetzner Cloud, Germany)
• In-browser document viewer (PDFs, images, documents)
• Smart organization with categories, tags, favorites, expiration tracking
• GDPR-native design with mandatory two-factor authentication

Use cases of LegacyShield

• Store and organize passports, wills, and insurance policies securely
• Grant trusted family members emergency read-only access to your vault
• Maintain full GDPR compliance while storing sensitive documents in the EU
• Track document expiration dates (e.g., passport renewal, insurance expiry)
• Replace generic cloud storage with a zero-knowledge, privacy-first alternative

FAQ from LegacyShield

How does encryption work?

Files are encrypted in the browser using a master key derived from your password via PBKDF2 (100k iterations). Each file uses a unique AES-256-GCM key, and the server never sees unencrypted files or keys. There is also a dual-key system that includes an emergency key for loved ones.

Where is my data stored?

All infrastructure is hosted exclusively in the European Union: compute on Hetzner Cloud (Falkenstein, Germany), database on Hetzner Managed PostgreSQL (Germany), and object storage on Hetzner Object Storage (Germany). Backups are automated to Nuremberg, Germany. Your data never leaves European soil and is protected by GDPR and German BDSG.

What is the emergency access feature?

You can designate emergency contacts who can access your vault using an unlock phrase. Their access is read-only, ensuring your documents can be retrieved by loved ones in an emergency without compromising your privacy.

What are the pricing options?

There is a Free Tier (15 documents, 1 emergency contact) and a Pro Tier ($10/month or $500 lifetime) offering 100 documents, 5 emergency contacts, expiration tracking, sharing, and audit logs.

What are the system requirements?

Development requires Node.js 20+, npm 10+, Docker and Docker Compose, and Git. For production, a Hetzner Cloud account (or other EU host) is needed. Two-factor authentication is mandatory for all users.