Glossary

This glossary defines key terms and concepts used throughout the Necron Vault Manager documentation and application.

C

Capacity Bar

The horizontal progress bar shown on the dongle status card in the sidebar. It displays the percentage of key material that has been used vs. remaining. As files are encrypted, the bar fills proportionally.

D

Dongle

A physical USB flash drive that stores your encryption key material. In the context of Necron Vault Manager, "dongle" refers to any USB drive that has been provisioned with an encryption key through the app. See USB Dongle Provisioning.

E

Edit Session

A temporary working session created when you use "Open for Edit" on a vault file. The file is decrypted to a temporary location, opened in an external editor, and monitored for changes. When you save the file, the app automatically re-encrypts the updated version back into the vault. See Open for Edit.

F

Free Tier

The no-cost tier of Necron Vault Manager that uses a software-based key stored locally on the computer. Offers the same encryption as Pro but with the key residing on the machine rather than a physical USB device. Includes a 30-day trial period. See Free vs. Pro Tiers.

G

Gatekeeper

The startup lock screen shown when Necron Vault Manager launches. It scans for a USB dongle and, if none is found, displays a login form where you can sign in or sign up for a Free Tier account. The Gatekeeper blocks access to the main application until a valid key is loaded.

I

Inspector

The right-hand panel in the Necron Vault Manager interface. Shows details about the currently selected vault file or folder, vault location paths, and footer action tiles for Encrypt, Decrypt, and Settings. See Interface Overview.

Integrity Check

A verification process that checks every encrypted file across all vault locations, detects corruption or tampering, and repairs damaged or missing copies from healthy copies at other locations. See Vault Integrity Check.

L

Locator

A filesystem path (folder) that serves as a vault storage location. Each vault can have multiple locators across local folders, cloud sync directories, and external drives. See Adding Locations.

M

MASTER

A dongle role that supports all operations: encrypt, decrypt, create vaults, modify vault settings, and manage key material. All new dongles (primary and backup) are provisioned as MASTER. Contrast with SLAVE.

N

NCV2

An encrypted file format used by vault storage. Features encrypted filenames and tamper protection. Key material usage is proportional to the file size. See File Formats.

NCV3

The current standard encrypted file format. Features authenticated encryption, streaming chunk support for large files, and very efficient key material usage. See File Formats.

O

OTP1

A legacy encrypted file format with plaintext filenames and no tamper detection. Still supported for decryption and backward compatibility but no longer used for new encryptions.

P

Paddle

The payment processor used for Necron Pro subscriptions. Handles checkout, billing, tax calculation, receipts, and subscription lifecycle. Necron never stores credit card details directly.

Pro Tier

The paid subscription tier ($3.99/month or $39.90/year) that uses a physical USB dongle for key storage. Provides hardware-based key security and backup dongle support. See Free vs. Pro Tiers.

S

Self-Healing

The automatic process of detecting and repairing missing or damaged files across vault locations. Missing files are copied from locations that have them; damaged files are replaced from verified good copies. See Self-Healing & Repair.

SLAVE

A dongle role that supports read-only operations (decrypt, vault import). SLAVE dongles cannot encrypt, create vaults, or modify vault settings. New provisioning creates all dongles as MASTER. Existing SLAVE dongles are still recognized for backward compatibility.

Software Key

The file-based encryption key used by Free tier users, stored locally on the computer. Functionally equivalent to a dongle key but protected by encryption bound to your Windows user account rather than physical separation. See Free vs. Pro Tiers.

Subscription Status

The current state of a Pro subscription. Values: active, past_due, canceled, paused, or none (Free tier).

T

TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password)

A standard algorithm for generating time-based verification codes. Used in Necron's optional vault two-factor authentication alongside a numeric PIN. Compatible with authenticator apps like Google Authenticator, Authy, and 1Password.

Trial Period

The 30-day evaluation period for Free Tier accounts. During this period, all Free Tier features are available. After expiry, the software key is deactivated and the Gatekeeper will prompt you to subscribe to Pro.

V

Vault

An encrypted container for files, consisting of a name, one or more storage locations, optional two-factor authentication, and encrypted files and folders. Vault configuration is stored on the dongle. See Creating a Vault.

Vault Browser

The in-app file browser that shows the contents of a vault. Displays the virtual folder structure and file names from encrypted metadata without decrypting file contents. See Vault Browser.