Frequently asked
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions we get the most — privacy, accounts and how the site works.
Playing
Are my answers stored anywhere?
No. We only keep a SHA-256 hash of your solution, computed client-side. Nobody — not even us — can recover the cleartext from that hash.
Can I create my own grids?
Yes — the “Encrypt” page walks you through it. Pick a method, a source text, a difficulty, then publish.
Cipher methods
Is it “encipher” or “encrypt” — does it matter?
In English both « encrypt » and « encipher » are accepted, but the distinction matters: strictly, you encipher with a key and decipher with the key, while « decrypt » means recovering the plaintext WITHOUT the key — breaking a cipher. French draws an even stricter line: « chiffrer » (to cipher) is correct, « crypter » is flagged as incorrect by the French national security agency (ANSSI) and isn’t recognized by the Académie française. Throughout the site we use the precise terminology.
What’s the difference between ciphering and encoding?
Encoding (base64, hexadecimal, Morse…) writes the same data in a different form, without a key and without aiming for confidentiality — anyone who knows the table can reverse it. Ciphering applies a cryptographic process WITH a key, so the message is unreadable without that key. Morse, A1Z26 and the NATO alphabet are codes, not ciphers. Caesar, Vigenère and AES are ciphers.
Cryptology, cryptography, cryptanalysis — what’s what?
Cryptology is the science of secrets. It covers cryptography (designing ciphers to protect a message — confidentiality, authenticity, integrity), cryptanalysis (attacking and breaking those ciphers) and steganography (hiding the very existence of the message). CipherChronicle lives mostly at the boundary of cryptography and cryptanalysis: you learn ciphers by breaking them.
Account system
Do I need an account to play?
Not for public grids. An account is only required to create your own puzzles and to track your progress.
Workshop & privacy
Is the PDF I drop for the book cipher stored anywhere?
No. The PDF you drop in to use the book cipher is read in memory by your browser, indexed locally, and never sent to a server — nor stored persistently. If you reload the page, the index is gone and you need to drop the file again. This is intentional: the contents of your book stay on your device.
Are the texts I type in the workshop sent to a server?
No. The whole encryption and decryption workshop runs in your browser — no plaintext, no ciphertext, no key is ever transmitted to our servers. CipherChronicle is a 100% client-side app: we never see what you type.
What do the share links and QR codes actually contain?
The "copy share link" button and the PDF QR code embed your text (cleartext or ciphertext) directly into the URL through a `value=` parameter, along with the cipher chain you used. As a result, anyone who receives the link can see the text. Use your judgement before sharing — especially for plaintext. If the URL gets too long, the button is disabled and the QR code drops the text (it then points to a neutral workshop link).
What cookies and trackers do you use?
No cookies are set until you consent via the GDPR banner. If you accept, we load Google Analytics 4 to measure aggregate usage (page views, workshop clicks, PDF exports) — without collecting personal information. You can change your mind any time from the Cookies page, linked in the footer. No advertising, no third-party pixels, no data sharing.
How can I get in touch?
Email us at [email protected] — full details on the "Contact us" page, linked in the footer. We read every email and usually answer within a few days, in English or French.