Where can I find DuckDuckGo’s technical developer documentation or source references for password storage?
Executive summary
DuckDuckGo’s publicly available developer-facing material for password storage is spread across its Help Pages and an open-source Autofill repository on GitHub, with product write-ups by outlets like The Verge and MacRumors summarizing the privacy and end-to-end encryption claims [1][2][3][4][5]. The clearest technical artifacts for developers are the duckduckgo-autofill code and documentation on GitHub (password generation and rules), while the company’s Help Pages explain user-facing encryption and Sync & Backup features without publishing a standalone cryptographic whitepaper in the provided sources [3][1][6].
1. What the question actually asks — where to look for technical docs and source references
The core task is to point to DuckDuckGo’s developer-oriented documentation and any source code or references that explain how its password manager stores and syncs credentials; user-facing help pages explain behavior and privacy guarantees, but developers and auditors will want code and implementation details which are available in the DuckDuckGo Autofill repository on GitHub as well as in the browser Help Pages [1][3][2].
2. Official Help Pages and product privacy statements (entry points for non-developers)
DuckDuckGo’s Help Pages describe how the built-in password manager stores and encrypts passwords locally on the device and how the Sync & Backup feature uses an approach intended to prevent DuckDuckGo and others from reading synced data, providing the user-facing privacy and setup guidance under “Password Manager Security” and “Sync & Backup” [1][2][6]. These pages also detail user workflows like importing passwords and how autofill behaves on suspected phishing sites, which are valuable for understanding threat-model claims though they are not low-level protocol specifications [7][1].
3. The GitHub source material developers can inspect right now
For concrete developer-facing source references, DuckDuckGo maintains an open repository for autofill functionality that includes a password package with generation logic and a ruleset used for constructing site-specific passwords; the package README and password.md document the API for generating passwords and integrating password rules, and the code is accessible on GitHub [3]. That repository is the primary place in the provided reporting where actual implementation details and examples are published for developers to audit or reuse [3].
4. What independent reporting adds and what it confirms about encryption and sync
Technology coverage in The Verge, 9to5Mac, MacRumors and other outlets reiterates that DuckDuckGo added an encrypted Sync & Backup feature to sync passwords, bookmarks, and favorites across devices without a central account, and that the company claims end-to-end encryption so it cannot read users’ synced data [4][8][5]. These articles confirm platform rollout details such as QR/text code pairing and Recovery Code PDFs mentioned in product copy, but they primarily echo DuckDuckGo’s privacy promises rather than supplying independent cryptographic audits [5][8][4].
5. Gaps, caveats and where reporting is limited
No source in the provided set publishes a formal cryptographic whitepaper, threat model, or detailed protocol spec describing key derivation, exact E2EE protocols, or storage formats, so security researchers seeking comprehensive, low-level proofs or third‑party audits will find limitations in the cited material; the available assets are Help Pages, press reporting, and the autofill GitHub code, which together give useful but incomplete visibility into all crypto primitives and server-side handling [1][2][3][4]. Additionally, coverage notes that DuckDuckGo does not yet support passkeys, an important limitation for those tracking modern authentication alternatives [4].
6. Practical next steps for a developer or auditor
Begin with DuckDuckGo’s Help Pages for Sync & Backup and password manager security to understand the product claims and user flows, then audit the duckduckgo-autofill GitHub repository’s password module for concrete code and generation rules; for questions not answered by those sources—such as exact encryption algorithms, key derivation details, server-side handling, or third‑party audits—request or search for DuckDuckGo’s technical whitepapers or security audit reports, because the provided reporting does not include them [1][2][3].