Data & Storage
Where Karpa stores your history, favorites, settings, and API keys.
Karpa has no server. Everything the app knows about you lives in your browser storage on your machine, which is exactly why it works offline and why backups are just files.
What is stored where
| Data | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Translation history | localStorage (translation-history) | Auto-saved after every translation, including file translations. |
| Favorites | localStorage (translation-favorites) | Starred translations only. |
| Provider config | localStorage | Provider, URL, model, temperature, interface language, theme, notification prefs. |
| API key | sessionStorage | Kept for the session only; cleared when you close the browser or tab. |
| Onboarding state | localStorage | Whether the welcome tour has been completed. |
Why the API key is session-only
Storing cloud API keys permanently would defeat the point of a privacy-first app if you share the device. Session storage keeps the key available while you work and forgets it when you close the window.
Backups
Settings → Data → Export Data downloads a single JSON file named
karpa-backup-YYYY-MM-DD.json containing:
- Full translation history
- Favorites
- Settings (provider, URL, temperature, language, theme, notification prefs, model)
Import the file on any machine to restore everything. Backups are plain files: keep them in your own cloud folder or encrypted drive if you want off-device copies.
Deleting data
- Clear All Data (Settings → Data) wipes history and favorites immediately.
- Clearing site data / app storage in your browser removes all remaining keys.
- Uninstalling the desktop app removes its own storage; Docker installs can be
wiped with the bundled
uninstall.sh/uninstall.batscripts (see Installation).
Nothing is ever uploaded anywhere when you clear data, because there is no server to upload to.