I’m Building a Secure File Workspace From Scratch — Here’s What I’ve Learned

Rishav Kumar Jha — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 15:04:43 +0000

I’m Building a Secure File Workspace From Scratch — Here’s What I’ve Learned

I started building NovaCloud22 because I wanted to solve a problem I kept running into:

Files are easy to store. Controlling what happens to them after you share them is much harder.

Google Drive, Dropbox, and similar tools are excellent at storage and collaboration. But I wanted to experiment with building a workspace where storage, secure sharing, file collection, and other file workflows could live together.

So I started building NovaCloud22 from scratch.

https://novacloud22.dev

What is NovaCloud22?

NovaCloud22 is a secure file workspace.

The core idea is simple:

Store your files. Share them securely. Collect files from others. Stay in control.

A user can upload and organize files, then create protected sharing links with things like:

Password protection
Expiration dates
Preview/download permissions
Download limits
Access tracking

There is also a file-request workflow where someone can upload files directly to a workspace without needing a NovaCloud22 account.

The interesting engineering problems

Building the UI was only a small part of the project.

The difficult part was figuring out what should happen to a file throughout its lifecycle.

For example:


text
User
  ↓
Upload
  ↓
Authentication
  ↓
File processing
  ↓
Encryption
  ↓
Storage
  ↓
Share link
  ↓
Recipient
  ↓
Access / download
  ↓
Analytics

NovaCloud22: A Secure All-in-One Workspace Built Around Files

Rishav Kumar Jha — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:13:43 +0000

Building NovaCloud22 — A Secure All-in-One Workspace Built Around Files

Most file storage products solve only one part of the problem: storing files.

But in real workflows, files are more than storage.

People need to:

Organize files
Share securely
Collect uploads
Create documents
Collaborate with others
Protect sensitive data
Manage workflows around files

That’s why I built NovaCloud22.

NovaCloud22 is a secure all-in-one workspace built around files.

Instead of using multiple disconnected tools for storage, sharing, forms, notes, invoices, and collaboration, NovaCloud22 brings everything into one platform.

What NovaCloud22 offers

Secure file workspace

Store, organize, preview, and manage files from one dashboard.

Protected sharing

Create secure share links with:

Expiry controls
Password protection
Download limits
Access tracking

File collection

Create upload pages so others can send files directly into your workspace.

Useful for:

Freelancers
Teams
Client submissions
Assignments

Built-in productivity tools

Users can create:

Notes
PDFs
Forms
Polls
Invoices
QR codes

without leaving the platform.

Collaboration

NovaCloud22 includes:

Chat
Shared workspaces
Whiteboards
Team file workflows

Security-first architecture

Security is built into the core:

AES-256 encryption
Two-factor authentication
Passkeys
Secure sessions
File receipts
Privacy controls

Why I built it

I felt that modern file workflows are fragmented.

You store files in one app, share in another, create forms elsewhere, send invoices somewhere else, and collaborate in different tools.

That creates friction.

NovaCloud22 is my attempt to unify those workflows.

Looking for feedback

NovaCloud22 is live and evolving.

I’d love feedback from anyone. If you store, share, or work with files regularly, I’d like to know what features would actually help you.

What would you want from a file-first workspace?

Try it here:
https://novacloud22.web.app

DEV Community: Rishav Kumar Jha

I’m Building a Secure File Workspace From Scratch — Here’s What I’ve Learned

I’m Building a Secure File Workspace From Scratch — Here’s What I’ve Learned

What is NovaCloud22?

The interesting engineering problems

NovaCloud22: A Secure All-in-One Workspace Built Around Files