Question 1

What is Burning Ash Protocol?

Accepted Answer

Burning Ash Protocol (BAP) is an encrypted digital will and dead man's switch system. You store documents encrypted with AES-256-GCM, designate survivors, and configure automated liveness checks. If you stop responding, the Will Transfer Protocol activates and your survivors can cooperate to decrypt your will using Shamir's Secret Sharing.

Question 2

How do I create my first will?

Accepted Answer

Sign up for an account, then navigate to your dashboard. Create a new will, upload your documents (they are encrypted automatically), and add survivors with their contact information. Configure your liveness check schedule and you are set.

Question 3

What types of documents can I store?

Accepted Answer

You can store any file type. Common uses include legal documents, account credentials, cryptocurrency wallet information, insurance policies, and personal messages. Each file is individually encrypted with AES-256-GCM before storage.

Question 4

How many survivors can I designate?

Accepted Answer

The Free plan supports up to 2 survivors per will. The Pro plan supports up to 10 survivors per will. Self-hosted deployments have no limit. You set a threshold (K-of-N) that determines how many survivors must cooperate to decrypt the will.

Question 5

Can I update my will after creating it?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can add, remove, or replace documents at any time. You can also change your survivor list and threshold settings. When you modify survivors, the encryption key fragments are regenerated and redistributed automatically.

Question 6

What is Shamir's Secret Sharing?

Accepted Answer

Shamir's Secret Sharing is a cryptographic technique that splits a secret into multiple fragments. Any configured threshold of fragments can reconstruct the secret, but fewer fragments reveal nothing. BAP uses this to split your will's Data Encryption Key among your designated survivors.

Question 7

How is my data encrypted?

Accepted Answer

Every document is encrypted with AES-256-GCM using a per-will Data Encryption Key (DEK). The DEK is encrypted with a Master Key using envelope encryption. Only encrypted ciphertext is stored. We operate on zero-knowledge principles and cannot decrypt your data.

Question 8

Can BAP staff access my documents?

Accepted Answer

No. BAP uses zero-knowledge architecture. Your documents are encrypted before storage using keys that are split among your survivors. Neither BAP staff nor anyone with server access can decrypt your data without the required number of survivor key fragments.

Question 9

What happens if a survivor loses their key fragment?

Accepted Answer

Individual fragment loss does not compromise your will, provided enough survivors still hold their fragments to meet the threshold. For example, if you set a 3-of-5 threshold, losing 2 fragments still allows the remaining 3 survivors to reconstruct the key.

Question 10

Is the encryption implementation auditable?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Burning Ash Protocol is open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license. The entire encryption implementation, including AES-256-GCM document encryption, Shamir's Secret Sharing key splitting, and Ed25519 document signing, is publicly available for review on GitHub.

Question 11

How does the liveness check work?

Accepted Answer

You configure three parameters: HCIT (how often you are pinged), HCRT (how long you have to respond), and HCRAC (how many missed checks trigger the transfer). The system sends notifications through your configured channels. If you miss enough consecutive checks, the Will Transfer Protocol activates.

Question 12

What notification channels are supported for liveness checks?

Accepted Answer

BAP supports Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and Telegram for liveness check notifications. You can configure multiple channels to ensure you receive the ping. In SaaS mode, platform-managed connectors are available. In self-hosted mode, you provide your own credentials.

Question 13

Can I pause the liveness checks temporarily?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can pause and resume your liveness checks from the dashboard settings. This is useful when you know you will be unreachable for an extended period, such as during travel or hospitalization.

Question 14

What happens when the Will Transfer Protocol activates?

Accepted Answer

Survivors are notified through their registered contact channels. Each survivor authenticates via a one-time password, then receives their cryptographic key fragment. Once enough survivors (meeting the threshold) present their fragments, the Data Encryption Key is reconstructed and the will can be decrypted.

Question 15

Is there a free plan?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Free plan includes 1 will with up to 2 survivors, 1 storage provider, up to 10 documents (10 MB each), and 2 notification connectors (Email and Telegram). AES-256 encryption and zero-knowledge architecture are included on all plans.

Question 16

What does the Pro plan include?

Accepted Answer

The Pro plan includes unlimited wills, up to 10 survivors per will, up to 5 storage providers (including S3, SFTP, and OneDrive), up to 100 documents (100 MB each), all notification channels, and the ability to bring your own connector credentials.

Question 17

Can I switch plans later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can upgrade from Free to Pro at any time. Your existing wills, documents, and survivor configurations are preserved. Downgrading is also possible, but you may need to reduce usage to fit within Free plan limits.

Question 18

Is there a discount for annual billing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Pro plan is available at a reduced rate with annual billing. Check the pricing page for current rates.

Question 19

How do I self-host Burning Ash Protocol?

Accepted Answer

BAP provides Docker images and docker-compose configurations for self-hosting. Clone the repository, configure your environment variables (database, SMTP, encryption keys), and run docker compose up. The system supports SQLite for simple deployments and PostgreSQL for production.

Question 20

What are the system requirements for self-hosting?

Accepted Answer

BAP runs on any system that supports Docker. The Go API server and Next.js frontend are lightweight. Minimum requirements are approximately 512 MB RAM and 1 CPU core. Storage depends on your document volume. PostgreSQL is recommended for production use.

Question 21

Do I get all features when self-hosting?

Accepted Answer

Self-hosted deployments include all encryption, key splitting, and liveness features without plan limits. The main difference is that you provide your own notification credentials (SMTP, Twilio, etc.) instead of using platform-managed connectors. There is no billing integration in self-hosted mode.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Getting Started

Security & Encryption

Dead Man's Switch

Pricing & Plans

Self-Hosting

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