FLASH Positioning
FLASH is the Zero-Knowledge Encrypted Intelligence Database — a local-first, server-blind data layer for private AI.
The server never sees your keys, your queries, or your plaintext.
One Sentence
FLASH is the database that powers private AI — encrypted by architecture, intelligent by design.
The Central Question
Traditional databases assume the engine can read your data. FLASH assumes the opposite:
How do you store, query, and search when the engine must remain cryptographically blind?
Five Principles
| # | Principle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Server-blind by design | Encryption is the foundation — not a plugin |
| 2 | Intelligence-native | RAG, agent memory, and semantic search are first-class |
| 3 | Local-first sovereignty | Your key, your disk, your rules |
| 4 | Honest performance | Batch writes, balanced durability — real numbers |
| 5 | Trust you can verify | Merkle roots, integrity proofs, sealed vaults |
When to Use FLASH
| Scenario | Why FLASH |
|---|---|
| Private RAG over sensitive documents | Ingest and search without server plaintext |
| AI agent memory (local or edge) | Encrypted episodic recall with TTL |
| Sealed secrets vault | Passphrase isolation + auto-lock |
| Local-first apps with encrypted search | Blind indexes + ORE range queries |
| Compliance-heavy workflows | Integrity proofs, audit streams, GDPR export |
When Not to Use FLASH
| Scenario | Better Alternative |
|---|---|
| General cloud document DB at massive scale | Managed document databases |
| Shared multi-tenant SaaS with server-side analytics | Postgres + application-layer encryption |
| Pure key-value cache | Redis / in-memory cache |
| Team already standardized on one SQL stack | Postgres with extensions |
FLASH is not trying to replace your general-purpose database. It owns private intelligence storage.
FLASH vs “Encrypted SQLite + Vector DB”
| SQLite + separate vector DB | FLASH | |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption model | App-layer or SQLCipher | Zero-knowledge envelopes + blind indexes |
| Vector + documents | Two systems | One engine |
| Agent memory | Build yourself | FlashAgentMemory built-in |
| Private RAG pipeline | Glue code | FlashPrivateRAG built-in |
| Integrity proofs | Manual | Merkle + signed manifest |
Identity Map
MongoDB → "Your default document database"
FLASH → "Your private AI data layer"