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How does it differ from PrivateBin?
I just copy&pasted their README in chatgpt asking for a comparison (so there may be allucinations)
Both PrivateBin and Paaster are “pastebin” tools that allow users to share snippets of text or code online. Both emphasize privacy and security, encrypting data at the local level in the user’s browser before sending it to the server. However, there are several key differences between the two services:
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Design and User Interface: While PrivateBin self-identifies as a minimalist pastebin, Paaster seems to put an emphasis on user experience, offering features like file drag & drop and a paste history.
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Features: Both offer basic features like password protection and the option to delete data after reading, but PrivateBin also offers features like the ability to have anonymous or nicknamed discussions, Markdown formatting support, code syntax highlighting, and the ability to upload files. On the other hand, Paaster offers a paste history feature, PWA support, and i18n.
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Trust: PrivateBin warns users not to blindly trust the server administrator, whereas Paaster advises users to either host their service or use a trusted hosting service.
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Implementation and Maintenance: Paaster seems more developer-oriented, with API documentation, a CLI tool, and support for Vercel and Docker. PrivateBin, however, also has a developer and installation guide.
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Hosting Options: Paaster seems more geared towards self-hosting, with detailed instructions for use with Docker and options for use with external storage services like Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage. PrivateBin does not provide specific hosting details in the provided text.
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Security: Both use end-to-end encryption, but they use different encryption algorithms. Paaster uses XChaCha20-Poly1305, while PrivateBin uses 256-bit AES in Galois Counter mode.
These are just some of the key differences between the two services. Both have their strengths and unique points, and the choice between the two will depend on the specific needs of the user or organization.
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Isn’t the point of a pastebin to be publicly accessible, hence encryption seems irrelevant to me? I mean, I’ve only ever used them to share code or errors or logs with a forum or stack overflow or whatever. I have no reason to add key exchange or password exchange with “everyone who might view the forum / stack overflow”. It’s effectively public anyway.
Are people using these pastebin services for something else?
Paaster doesn’t assume the users intent for the service. People can share a wide range of data in pastebins and users don’t always want this to be public.
This just seems like misunderstanding the point of a pastebin, and also what tools are appropriate. At least to me, depending on privacy demands, you’d use an existing cloud filesharing service like box for basic privacy, or if your correspondent understood encryption and privacy, you’d use something like Signal to share either a compressed image or data, or the actual file.
We’ll obviously people are finding / needing a use for a service like this. Paaster has 340+ stars & a similar project Privatebin has 5.1k stars.
Sometimes you want to share data briefly with others or to only a specific groups of people (private forums, game lobbies etc) so being able to do so quickly and securely can be extremely useful.
Also this is a privacy page, why should your Pastebin data be stored in raw text and easily indexable by the host? Obviously pastebin data has the potential to be sensitive (look at the amount of people leaking things on pastebin.com)
Also data leaks do occur! Why should all your pastes be publicly viewable when you only intended to share it with people XYZ platform etc.
The fact your unable to imagine use cases and benefits of such services / projects honestly amazes me.
I guess I just don’t get how you have share with “large” group of people and private and secure? I mean, pastebin anyway had a timeout. And the paaster github even says you have to run your own instance for security and privacy. If I’m running my own server, I presumably don’t need to encrypt my data from myself. If I am running my own server, and the security is explicitly the link, it’s not actually secure because the link grants access. But that’s to be expected, anything more and you get into needing to authenticate everyone, which is the exact opposite of easy or quick.
And for anything I’m concerned enough about to not share with the internet - I wouldn’t be posting on a game lobby or forum. Or I mean, if I trust the forum privacy, why not just… idk… post the text content to the forum?
My issue here isn’t that I don’t see the need for a pastbin sort of service, my issue is I think for the vast majority of usecases you’ve listed and I can imagine, you’re getting security theater, not actual security and privacy.
