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Lab Note · Aug 15, 2026

Why “no upload” is an architecture choice, not a slogan

By Vigen G. · All notes · Methodology

I built VeloTools because I was tired of sending client photos, invoices, and PDFs to random SaaS boxes just to shrink a file. “We delete after 24 hours” is not privacy. It is a retention policy you cannot audit.

If there is no upload endpoint, there is nothing to leak, queue, or sell.

What we actually do

Image compression, resize, and convert run on the Canvas and File APIs in your browser. Background removal loads a WebAssembly model on-device. PDF compression uses PDF.js / pdf-lib locally. Invoices and QR codes are generated client-side. After the page loads, you can go offline and the tools still work.

What that forces us to refuse

Limits I will tell you up front

Browser RAM is the real ceiling — a huge scanned PDF can stress a phone. WASM models need a first download. Some RAW cameras only expose an embedded JPEG preview, not a full demosaic. Saying that out loud is part of trust.

Why this note exists

Search platforms put young sites in a sandbox when they look like faceless content farms. Lab Notes are not a blog for keywords. They are a record of how the product is built, by whom, and what we refuse. If you only need the tool, skip the essay and open it.

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