Sharing

Share a notebook with others using a link. Everyone with the link can view and edit the notebook, and changes sync automatically across all participants. All data is end-to-end encrypted. This page covers how sharing works, how to manage it, and how the security model protects your data.

Pro: Sharing requires a Neatbase Pro subscription.

How Sharing Works

When you share a notebook, Neatbase encrypts all of its content on your device, uploads the encrypted data to the server, and generates a share link. Anyone who opens the link joins the shared notebook. Changes sync automatically in both directions.

The server never sees your data in readable form. Everything is encrypted before it leaves your device, and only people with the share link can decrypt it.

Sharing a Notebook

1. Click the gear icon in the toolbar to open notebook settings.
2. Switch to the Share tab.
3. Click Share Notebook.
4. If this is your first time sharing, you'll be asked to enter your name. This is how other participants will identify you.
5. The share link is generated. Click Copy Link to copy it to your clipboard.

Send the link to anyone you want to share with. Paste it in a message, email, or wherever works best.

The Share Link

The share link looks like this: cloud.neatbase.app/s/{id}/{key}

The last part of the URL is the encryption key. It's used by the Neatbase app to decrypt the shared notebook. The server uses it only to display the notebook name on the landing page — it never stores the key permanently. This is what makes the encryption end-to-end: the server stores your data but can never decrypt it.

Treat the link like a password. Anyone with the full link (including the key) can join your notebook and read all its contents. Only share it with people you trust.

Joining a Shared Notebook

When someone receives a share link:

1. They open the link in a browser.
2. A landing page appears with an Open in Neatbase button.
3. Clicking the button opens the Neatbase app and shows a join confirmation.
4. After confirming, the encrypted notebook is downloaded and decrypted on their device.
5. The notebook appears in their sidebar, ready to use.

If the person doesn't have Neatbase installed, the landing page links to the App Store.

What Participants Can Do

The person who creates the share is the owner. Everyone else is a participant. Here's how permissions work:

Owner Only

• Rename the notebook
• Change the notebook icon and color
• Change notebook settings (like whether the first field is used as the note title)
• Stop sharing
• Remove individual participants
• Enable the REST API or publish a web form

All Participants (Including the Owner)

• Create, edit, and delete notes
• Add, rename, reorder, and delete fields
• Choose between notes view and table view (this is a personal preference — it doesn't affect other participants)

How Syncing Works

Once a notebook is shared, all participants sync automatically:

• The app checks for changes automatically while it's open.
• Syncing is bidirectional. Your changes go up, other people's changes come down.
• If two people edit the same field on the same note, the most recent edit wins. Edits to different fields on the same note merge without conflict.
• New notes, deleted notes, and field changes all sync.

In shared notebooks, each note shows who created it and who last edited it, so you can see who made changes.

Managing Participants

In the Share tab, the owner can see a list of all participants — with display names and join dates. Up to 10 people can join a shared notebook (plus the owner, for 11 total).

Removing a Participant

As the owner, you can remove individual participants by tapping the × button next to their name. After confirming, the participant's access is revoked immediately. On their next sync, their copy of the shared notebook will be removed from their device.

Invite Expiration

Share links expire after 72 hours. After that, new people can't use the link to join. Existing participants are not affected.

To invite more people after the link expires, tap Renew Invite in the Share tab to generate a fresh 72-hour window.

Security

Neatbase uses strong encryption to protect shared notebook data.

What's Encrypted

• Notebook name
• Field names, types, and configurations
• Note titles
• All field values (text, numbers, dates, toggles, everything)
• Image data

What Stays Unencrypted

• IDs, timestamps, and ordering (structural data the server needs to coordinate sync)
• Notebook icon and color

How It Works

• Algorithm: AES-256-GCM, a widely trusted standard used by banks and governments.
• Key generation: A 256-bit key is generated on your device using Apple's CryptoKit framework.
• Encryption happens on-device: Content is encrypted before upload and decrypted after download. The server only stores opaque encrypted blobs.
• Key distribution: The encryption key is embedded in the share link URL. It travels only through the link you share directly with others.
• Server access: The server can see that a shared notebook exists, how many participants it has, and when it was last synced. It cannot see any of the content.

This is the same "link equals access" model used by services like end-to-end encrypted file sharing tools. The security of your data depends on keeping the share link private.

Stopping a Share

As the Owner

If you created the share, you can stop it:

1. Open the Share tab in notebook settings.
2. Click Stop Sharing.
3. Confirm in the dialog.

This immediately revokes access for all participants. The server deletes all shared data. Your local copy of the notebook is not affected.

On each participant's next sync, their copy of the shared notebook will be removed from their device.

As a Participant

If you joined someone else's share, you can leave:

1. Open the Share tab in notebook settings.
2. Click Leave Share.
3. Confirm in the dialog.

Your device stops syncing with the shared notebook. Your local copy is removed. The share continues for everyone else.