How Expiration and Encryption Options Work on Spectre

On Spectre (ghostbin.linuxbox.ninja), expiration controls how long a paste remains reachable, and encryption controls who can read it. You set both before saving: pick an expiration window (or Forever), optionally enter a password to encrypt the paste, then save. If you leave the password blank, the paste is not encrypted, so anyone with the link can read it. If you set a password, viewers must enter that password to see the content.

Expiration: choosing how long a paste lives

The expiration selector defines how long the paste should be "allowed to roam the Earth." The options shown on the site are:

Practical implications:

• Short windows (Ten Minutes, an Hour) suit one-off sharing: a log snippet, a config line, or a token you want to disappear quickly. Once the window passes, the paste is no longer available, so anyone who opens the link later gets nothing useful.
• Longer windows (a Day, two Days) fit handoffs across time zones or a review that may not happen immediately.
• Forever removes the time limit entirely. That is convenient for reference material, but it also means the content stays reachable for as long as the service keeps it — so avoid Forever for anything sensitive.

Because expiration is chosen at save time, decide the window before you paste. If you are unsure, a shorter window is the safer default; you can always share the content again later.

Encryption: controlling who can read the paste

Encryption is optional and password-based. The site's prompt asks you to "Enter a password with which to encrypt this paste, or leave it blank to eschew encryption."

• Password entered: the paste is encrypted, and a viewer needs that password to read it. This protects the content even if the link leaks or is forwarded.
• Password left blank: the paste is not encrypted. Anyone who obtains the link can read it — there is no additional gate.

Two things to keep in mind:

1. The link and the password are separate secrets. Encryption only helps if you deliver the password through a different channel than the link (for example, link in a chat, password by another message). Sending both together removes most of the benefit.
2. Encryption does not change expiration. A paste can be both encrypted and set to expire; the two settings are independent. If you want the content gone after a set time, you still need to choose an expiration window — encryption alone does not delete anything.

Combining the two options

The settings are independent, so you choose one expiration value and decide separately whether to encrypt:

Account-related behavior

Spectre accounts exist "solely for keeping track of your own pastes," and the site states that no personally-identifying information is retained as part of a user account. If you log in or create an account, you get access to your pastes ("My Pastes"). This is separate from expiration and encryption: an account helps you find pastes you created, but it does not override an expiration window or decrypt a password-protected paste for anyone else.

Common pitfalls

• Assuming a blank password is safe. It is not encrypted; the link is the only barrier.
• Reusing a password you care about. Treat the paste password as disposable, since it is typed into a web form.
• Forgetting the expiration choice. If you meant a paste to disappear and left it on Forever, it stays until removed.
• Sending link and password together. That defeats the purpose of encrypting.

If you only need to move text quickly and it is not sensitive, a short expiration with no password is the simplest path. If the content is sensitive, set a short expiration and a password, and share the password through a separate channel.