Personal Servers

A Personal Server is a user-controlled, off-chain compute environment that stores encrypted data and executes permissioned operations for data portability applications.

Core Function

Personal Servers enable users to maintain sovereignty over their data while allowing applications to perform computations through onchain verified permissions. The server acts as a trusted compute environment that only the user controls.

Architecture

User-Controlled Environment

Self-hosted or trusted provider: Users choose their infrastructure (personal device, cloud provider, or trusted service). The Vana app currently relies on Replicate as a default.
Off-chain compute: Operations run within the personal server, outside the blockchain for efficiency and privacy
Isolated execution: Each computation runs in isolated Docker containers for security

Security Model

Trust Boundary

The Personal Server operates on a single-user trust model where:

User trusts their own compute environment
No need for collective trust mechanisms
User has full control over hardware and software stack

Permission Validation

Before executing any operation, the Personal Server:

Validates onchain permissions via blockchain query
Verifies operation scope against granted permissions
Executes only approved computations within isolated containers
Returns results without exposing raw data

Isolation and Security

Docker containerization: Each app operation runs in isolated environment
Permission enforcement: Server only acts on verified onchain permissions
Data encryption: All stored data remains encrypted at rest
Audit trail: All operations logged onchain and traceable

Data Flow

App Request → Blockchain Permission Check → Personal Server → Isolated Execution → Results

Application requests computation through data portability API
Personal Server queries blockchain to validate permissions
If valid, server executes computation in isolated Docker container
Results returned to application, raw data never leaves server

Benefits

User Control: Complete sovereignty over compute environment and data access

Privacy Preservation: Raw data never leaves user's trusted environment

Efficiency: Off-chain computation without blockchain gas costs for operations

Flexibility: Users can choose their preferred infrastructure and providers

Deterministic Access: Wallet-based identity eliminates separate account management

The Personal Server creates a new paradigm where users maintain complete control over their data and compute while enabling rich, personalized applications through cryptographically verified permissions.