Switch storage backends

Annot’s web app reads and writes annotations through a single StorageProvider interface, with five built-in implementations. Switch between them in Settings → Storage.

Backend	Where it lives	Sign-in required
Browser (default)	IndexedDB on the current device	No
Device (File System Access)	A folder you pick on your local disk	No
GitHub	A repo + branch + base path you pick	GitHub OAuth
Google Drive	A drive.file-scoped subfolder	Google OAuth
Annot Cloud	A workspace on annot.work	Annot Cloud sign-in

Browser (default)

The simplest backend — annotations live in IndexedDB on the current device, no sign-in, no upload. Loses data if you clear browser storage; doesn’t sync across devices.

Device (File System Access)

Pick a local folder; annotations live as *.annot.svg files inside it. The annotation SVG + an optional sidecar metadata file go on disk. You can git-track the folder, sync it with Dropbox, or open the same folder from the desktop app.

Supported on Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave). Safari + Firefox fall back to the Browser backend.

GitHub

Pick a repo, a branch, and a base path (e.g. screenshots/). Annotations save as commits on the chosen branch.

• Auth: a GitHub OAuth grant covering repo scope on the repos you choose.
• Save flow: each save creates a commit. Conflict resolution is last-write-wins on the chosen branch.

Google Drive

Pick a folder; annotations save as files inside it.

• Auth: drive.file scope — the web app can only see / write files it created itself, not other Drive content.
• Limits: Google API quotas apply; the web app backs off on 429 responses.

Annot Cloud

Sign in with GitHub or Google to use the hosted backend at annot.work. Same SVG format, plus share-link generation and multi-device sync.

The free tier covers personal use; team sharing + higher quotas are on the Pro roadmap.

Switching

Each backend is independent — switching from Browser to GitHub doesn’t migrate existing annotations. To move annotations across backends, export them as .annot.svg files and import on the other side, or copy them through the Device backend (which is the same on-disk format the GitHub backend uses).