Technology
Wuala is based on a novel technology that we have researched and developed for the most part at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. A number of important aspects distinguish Wuala from other services.
Privacy and Security
Security is a key design issue in Wuala: In contrast to many other online storage services, Wuala protects your privacy by encrypting all files on your computer before they are stored online. You choose who gets access to which folder, and since your password never leaves your computer, no one else - including us - gets to see your private files.
Wuala employs the 128 bit AES algorithm for encryption and the 2048 bit RSA algorithm for authentication.
If you're interested in how Wuala manages encryption, have a look at our publication on Cryptree.
Harnessing idle resources
Wuala users can choose to contribute idle resources to Wuala. In addition to servers, Wuala can harness these resources. The data is first encrypted and then split into fragments which are redundantly stored on our servers and in the grid network. When you access a file, Wuala simultaneously downloads as many of these fragments as it can from the grid storage and optionally takes the remaining ones from our servers. This allows us to save costs for downloads (bandwidth, electrical power) and to provide a better service for free including many advantages for our users (unlimited traffic, no file size limits, fast downloads, etc.). Our redundant and robust server infrastructure guarantees that your files are always available.
Get as much storage as you like
You start with 1 GB provided by us. If you want more, you can either trade some space on your hard disk for online storage, or buy additional online storage. When trading, the idea behind is not to give you more storage in total (apart from the first GB provided by us), but to change the quality of your storage: Wuala is able to transform local storage into online storage that can be accessed from anywhere and at any time, even when your computer is offline. Please note that trading is an option, not an obligation. If you need extra space but don't want to trade, you can always buy additional storage instead.
Desktop Client and Web Start
Wuala comes as a convenient application for Windows, Mac, and Linux that can also be started directly from within the browser, elegantly bridging web and desktop. This has the advantage of drag and drop support, the ability to upload files in the background and to work offline. Wuala integrates with your system as network drive so you can open and edit your files in your favorite application. Also, links to files and folders can be sent to friends, who can click directly on the link and access the files.
Open Source
We love open source technology and Wuala is based on a number of open source projects. We did open source Wuala Webstart and Wuala Persistent Map.
API
The Wuala REST API offers read access to public data stored in Wuala and enables the development of third-party applications based on Wuala. The API is still in a very early development stage. Any form of feedback is appreciated.
Publications
Cryptree
Havelaar
Design Patterns
Tech Talk
Ecology
Wuala protects the environment - our servers are powered with 100% green energy.
The label "swiss made software" stands for Swiss values and innovation, openness and flexibility in software development.
Switzerland.