Skip to main content
Skiff is a privacy-first, end-to-end encrypted workspace platform built as a monorepo containing multiple applications and shared libraries.

​
Overview

Skiff provides end-to-end encrypted communication and productivity tools:
  • Skiff Mail - Private, encrypted email
  • Skiff Calendar - Encrypted calendar and scheduling
  • Skiff Pages - Encrypted document editing
  • Skiff Drive - Encrypted file storage
All messages, events, files, and documents are end-to-end encrypted. Skiff never stores unencrypted access to user data.

​
Monorepo Structure

The project uses Yarn workspaces to manage a monorepo containing multiple applications and shared libraries.

​
Workspace Configuration

The root package.json defines the workspace structure: 
{
  "workspaces": [
    "libs",
    "skemail-web",
    "calendar-web",
    "skiff-pages-drive",
    "skiff-calendar"
  ]
}

​
Applications

The Skiff Mail web application built with Next.js and React.Key Features:
  • End-to-end encrypted email
  • Rich text editor with TipTap
  • File attachments
  • Email search
  • Custom domains and aliases
Port: 4200Entry Point: http://localhost:4200/mail/inbox
The Skiff Calendar web application for encrypted scheduling.Key Features:
  • End-to-end encrypted events
  • Google Calendar import
  • ICS file support
  • Event sharing
  • Timezone support
Technology: React with Webpack
Combined application for Skiff Pages (documents) and Drive (file storage).Key Features:
  • End-to-end encrypted documents
  • Collaborative editing
  • File storage and management
  • Version history

​
Shared Libraries

The libs/ directory contains shared libraries used across all applications:
Core cryptography library implementing Skiff’s encryption model.Responsibilities:
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Key generation and management
  • Cryptographic operations
Next-generation cryptography library with enhanced features.
Common utilities and helper functions shared across applications.Includes:
  • Type definitions
  • Utility functions
  • Constants and configurations
Frontend-specific utilities and hooks.Includes:
  • React hooks
  • Frontend utilities
  • UI helpers
GraphQL schema definitions and resolvers.
Frontend GraphQL client setup and generated types.
Protocol Buffer definitions for mail data structures.
ICS (iCalendar) file format parsing and generation.
ProseMirror editor extensions and utilities.
Reusable UI component library for the Skiff design system.

​
Build Order

Libraries must be built in dependency order:
  1. skiff-utils
  2. skiff-mail-protos
  3. skiff-graphql
  4. skiff-crypto
  5. skiff-front-graphql
  6. skiff-front-utils
The yarn build:lib command handles this automatically.

​
Technology Stack

​
Frontend Framework

  • React 17.0.2 - UI framework
  • Next.js 12.x - Framework for skemail-web (file-based routing, SSR)
  • Webpack 5.x - Module bundler for calendar-web and other apps
  • TypeScript 5.0+ - Type-safe JavaScript

​
State Management

  • Redux Toolkit - Application state management
  • React Redux - React bindings for Redux
  • Redux Logger - Development logging

​
GraphQL

  • Apollo Client 3.x - GraphQL client
  • GraphQL Code Generator - Type-safe GraphQL operations
  • apollo-upload-client - File upload support

​
UI and Styling

  • styled-components 5.3.3 - CSS-in-JS styling
  • Emotion - Additional styling solution
  • Material-UI (@mui/material) - Component library
  • Framer Motion - Animation library

​
Rich Text Editing

  • TipTap 2.x - Rich text editor framework
  • ProseMirror - Editor foundation
Extensions include:
  • Bold, italic, underline, strike
  • Headings, lists, blockquotes
  • Links, images, tables
  • Syntax highlighting

​
Cryptography

  • tweetnacl - Cryptographic primitives
  • @stablelib/chacha20poly1305 - Authenticated encryption
  • argon2-browser - Password hashing
  • ethers - Ethereum wallet integration

​
Data Formats

  • Protocol Buffers (protobufjs) - Efficient serialization
  • GraphQL - API query language
  • ICS - Calendar format

​
Testing

  • Jest 28.x - Test framework
  • @testing-library/react - React component testing
  • @swc/jest - Fast test compilation

​
Development Tools

  • ESLint - Code linting
  • Prettier - Code formatting
  • Babel - JavaScript transpilation
  • Webpack Dev Server - Development server with HMR

​
Cryptography Architecture

Skiff implements client-side, end-to-end encryption for all user data.

​
Encryption Model

1

Key Generation

Users generate encryption keys locally in the browser. Private keys never leave the client.
2

Data Encryption

All sensitive data (emails, calendar events, files, documents) is encrypted client-side before being sent to servers.
3

Zero-Knowledge Storage

Servers store only encrypted data. Skiff cannot decrypt user data.
4

Secure Sharing

Encrypted data can be shared between users using public key cryptography.

​
Cryptographic Libraries

The cryptography layer is implemented in:
  • libs/skiff-crypto - Original crypto implementation
  • libs/skiff-crypto-v2 - Enhanced crypto features
These libraries handle:
  • Key generation and derivation
  • Symmetric encryption (ChaCha20-Poly1305)
  • Asymmetric encryption (TweetNaCl)
  • Password hashing (Argon2)
  • Secure random number generation
For more details, read Skiff’s whitepaper.

​
GraphQL Architecture

​
Schema Federation

Skiff uses Apollo Federation to compose multiple GraphQL services into a unified graph. The supergraph.graphql file contains the federated schema.

​
Code Generation

GraphQL Code Generator creates TypeScript types from:
  • GraphQL schema definitions
  • GraphQL query/mutation operations
  • Fragment definitions
This provides end-to-end type safety from API to UI.

​
Client Configuration

Apollo Client is configured with:
  • HTTP link for GraphQL requests
  • Upload link for file uploads
  • Cache for query optimization
  • Error handling and retry logic

​
Search Architecture

Skiff implements private, client-side search using the skiff-front-search library.

​
How It Works

  1. Indexing: Data is decrypted and indexed locally in the browser
  2. Search: Queries run against the local index using MiniSearch
  3. Privacy: Search never sends queries or data to servers

​
Features

  • Full-text search
  • Fuzzy matching
  • Prefix search
  • Result ranking
Read more in Skiff’s blog post on private search.

​
Package Management

Skiff uses Yarn Berry (Yarn 4.0.1) with workspaces: 
"packageManager": "[email protected]"

​
Workspace Features

  • Dependency Hoisting: Shared dependencies are installed once at the root
  • Local Linking: Libraries are automatically linked to applications
  • Parallel Execution: Scripts can run across workspaces in parallel
  • Topological Sorting: Dependencies are built in the correct order

​
Build and Deployment

​
Development

  • Webpack Dev Server: Fast development server with HMR
  • Source Maps: For debugging
  • Mock Data: Local development uses mock data

​
Production

  • Webpack: Production builds with optimization
  • Code Splitting: Automatic code splitting for better performance
  • Minification: Using Terser and CSS minimizer
  • Compression: Gzip compression for assets
  • Service Workers: Workbox for offline support

​
Vercel Integration

Skiff applications can be deployed to Vercel: 
yarn build-vercel
This uses the Vercel build configuration with environment variables.

​
Security Model

Skiff’s security model is based on:
  1. End-to-End Encryption: All data encrypted client-side
  2. Zero-Knowledge: Servers cannot decrypt user data
  3. Open Source: Code is publicly auditable
  4. Privacy-First: No tracking or analytics on user data
  5. Crypto Wallet Support: Anonymous sign-up with Ethereum wallets
Read more at skiff.com/security-model.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us