Storage options in Insomnia

Insomnia offers various storage options to cater to different user needs and preferences.

Understanding these options is crucial for efficient and secure management of your API projects. This document outlines the primary storage options available in Insomnia: local vault, scratch pad, cloud sync, and Git sync.

Local vault is a storage option that allows all project data to be stored locally on your device, or through Git sync. This option is ideal for users who prefer or require their data to remain off the cloud for privacy or security reasons.

Key features:

• Local storage: All project files are stored on your local machine.
• No cloud interaction: No data is sent to or stored in the cloud.
• Security: Enhanced security as data remains within your local environment.
• Work offline: Access and work on your projects without needing an internet connection.

You can create a local vault project when you create a new project in Insomnia and select the Local vault option.

Scratch pad is a storage option that allows all project data to be stored locally on your device. This option is ideal for users who prefer or require their data to remain off the cloud for privacy or security reasons.

Key features:

• Local storage: All project files are stored on your local machine.
• No cloud interaction: No data is sent to or stored in the cloud.
• Security: Enhanced security as data remains within your local environment.
• Work offline: Access and work on your projects without needing an internet connection.

Before you log in to Insomnia, you can use scratch pad by clicking Use the local Scratch Pad at the bottom of the login screen.

Cloud sync enables users to store and synchronize their project data in the cloud securely, and use version control.

This feature is beneficial for collaboration, providing easy access to projects from different devices and locations.

Cloud sync provides the following abilities on top of the base Insomnia functionality:

• Commit and push the contents of projects
• Revert to a previous commit
• Share commits across devices or with members of your organization
• Create and work on separate branches

Key use case features:

• End-to-End Encryption (E2EE): Ensures data is encrypted during transmission and storage.
• Real-time synchronization: Keeps your projects up-to-date across all devices.
• Collaboration: Share and collaborate on projects with team members.
• Remote access: Access your projects from anywhere with an internet connection.

When you create a project with Cloud sync in an organization, the project is automatically available to all users in the organization.

Cloud sync data flow

The following diagram shows how data flows when Insomnia is configured with cloud sync:

Git sync allows users to use a third-party Git repository for storing project data.

This option is independent of cloud access and is suitable for users familiar with Git workflows.

Key features:

• Version control: Leverage Git’s version control capabilities for your projects.
• Independence from Insomnia’s Cloud: Uses external Git repositories for storage.
• Provider flexibility: Choose any Git service provider, like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.
• Collaboration via Git: Collaborate with others using standard Git practices.
• v10.2+ Built-in conflict resolution: Resolve conflicts in Insomnia when pulling or pushing changes.

When you create a project with Git sync in an organization, it’s only available to you. The project name, its metadata, and the corresponding Git URL are not shared with other users in the organization. To collaborate on a Git sync project, each user must create a project and connect to the Git repository. This allows you to control who can access the project within the organization.

Git sync data flow

The following diagram shows how data flows when Insomnia is configured with Git sync:

 
flowchart LR
    subgraph userDesktop [User desktop]
        A(Insomnia resources
Design documents
Request collections
Unit tests
Environments)
        B(Git capabilities
Manage commits
Git pull/push
Git branches)
    end 

    subgraph unsure [ ]
        C(Insomnia resources
Design documents
Request collections
Unit tests
Environments)
        D(Git capabilities
Manage commits
Git pull/push
Git branches)
    end

    subgraph insomniaCloud [Insomnia Cloud]
        E(Database)
        F(Google Cloud)
    end

    subgraph Git-based source code management provider
       subgraph .
        G(Bitbucket)
        H(GitLab)
        I(GitHub)
        end
    end
    
    J(Insomnia resources
RBAC
License)


    E <--> J
    F <--> J <--> A <--> C
    B <--> D
    C <--> G & H & I
    D <--> G & H & I

    style . stroke:none