pagevault

Password-protect semi-private content on static sites – no backend required.

Encrypt sensitive pages and sections while keeping navigation, styling, and public content unchanged. Works with Hugo, GitHub Pages, Netlify, or any static hosting.

The Problem

You want to publish semi-private content on your static site: - Technical docs with client-confidential sections - Blog posts mixing public narratives with private thoughts - Educational material with solutions behind passwords - Shared notes that shouldn't be fully public (yet)

Traditional solutions require a backend. pagevault works with pure static hosting – your site lives entirely on GitHub Pages, no server needed.

How It Works

Mark sections with <pagevault> tags. pagevault encrypts just those sections while preserving your site's structure, styling, navigation, and scripts.

<header>Public navigation</header>

<pagevault hint="Contact me for the password">
  <h2>Private thoughts on this topic</h2>
  <p>This section is encrypted...</p>
</pagevault>

<footer>Public footer</footer>

Visitors see your site normally. When they encounter protected content, a password prompt appears. Once unlocked, the content displays beautifully—and the password can be remembered in the browser (you control this).

Quick Start

1. Install

pip install pagevault

2. Mark content

<pagevault hint="Contact admin for password">
  Private content here
</pagevault>

3. Create config

pagevault config init

4. Encrypt and deploy

pagevault lock index.html
# Deploy _locked/index.html to your static host

That's it! Visitors see a password prompt on protected sections.

Why pagevault?

Feature	pagevault	Wrap entire page	CSS hiding	No protection
Mixed public/private	✅	❌	❌	❌
Static hosting	✅	✅	✅	✅
No server	✅	✅	✅	✅
Preserves structure	✅	❌	✅	✅
Real encryption	✅	✅	❌	❌
Viewer plugins	✅	❌	❌	❌

Key Features

For Content Creators

• Selective encryption: Mark just what needs protecting
• HTML structure preserved: Navigation, scripts, styles stay public
• Remember-me: Visitors can save passwords in browser
• Viewer plugins: Built-in rendering for images, PDFs, HTML, text, and Markdown

For Developers

• CLI-first: Simple command-line tools, no GUI needed
• Configuration: Cascade from CLI args → env vars → YAML → defaults
• Custom CSS: Style password prompts to match your site
• Multi-user: Encrypt for different users with different passwords
• Zero runtime deps: No JavaScript libraries or external services

For Security

• AES-256-GCM: Military-grade AEAD encryption
• PBKDF2-SHA256: 310,000 iterations (OWASP recommended)
• Client-side only: All processing in browser, no data leaves
• No tracking: No analytics, no phone-home, completely stateless

Common Use Cases

Hugo Blog: Publish semi-private posts alongside public content.

Knowledge Base: Protect implementation details while sharing approaches.

Client Work: Share progress reports with selective access.

Educational: Post problems publicly, solutions behind password.

→ Read more use cases

Getting Started

New to pagevault? Start with Getting Started for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Explore the CLI Reference for all commands, including info (inspect encrypted files), check (verify passwords), and audit (health check your setup).

Check Configuration to customize behavior.

Have questions? See FAQ.

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Made with ❤️ for static site builders who want privacy without complexity.