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Backing Up Your Key

mplorentz edited this page Mar 9, 2022 · 10 revisions

See Also: Identity instead of account. What's a key and how do you back it up?

To migrate to a new device you need to back up your key first. It's not a bad idea to back your key up even if you aren't migrating to a new device.

There are two rules you should always follow when handling your key:

  1. Keep it secret.
  2. Only one app on one device should have access to your secret. When migrating your key from one app or device to another it is especially important to follow this rule to avoid creating a Forked Feed.

Backup Up Your Key

To back up your key, you need to access the debug menu.

  1. In Planetary, tap your Avatar / profile icon in the top left to open the side menu

  2. From the side menu, navigate through Settings > Advanced Settings > Dangerous and powerful debug menu.

  3. Once you're in the debug menu, scroll down to the "Configurations" section. You should see at least three options there:

    • One with your name (or handle) and a purple check mark
    • A button titled "Create new configuration and secret"
    • A button titled "Add new configuration from secret"
  4. Select the configuration that has a checkmark next to it.

  5. Look for a section titled "Identity and Secret (Tap to Copy)". Tap the second cell in that section to copy it. It should start with a squiggly bracket ({) and look something like this:

{"id":"@DpeiL5o4YKErfmXLk88TzyMA31Di0ydzkAIw=.ed25519","private":"ssMOEEWkcd9lVohFCZuETv1a+LertnE8TYOl6IvmjhgoSt+ZcuTzxPPIwDfUOLTJ3OQAjA==.ed25519","curve":"ed25519","public":"S4U0HE2DpeiL585eLk88TzyMA31Di0ydzkAIw=.ed25519"}

This is your key, and contains all the information you need to restore your identity provided that you have made some friends in Planetary. 6. Save your key to a secure place such as a password vault.

Restoring Your Key

If you need to restore your key from a backup, see Restoring Your Identity.