Where does Entry Thingy and my data live?

EntryThingy is a cloud-based platform, which means everything runs on secure servers in the cloud rather than on your computer. This gives you the flexibility to access EntryThingy from anywhere, on any device, without worrying about installing software or managing servers yourself.

Where EntryThingy Runs

EntryThingy uses modern cloud hosting services:

Heroku — Hosts the main EntryThingy application (gallery site)
Vercel — Hosts the marketing website
PlanetScale — Provides the MySQL database where all your data is stored
Amazon S3 — Stores uploaded files like artwork images

Where Your Data Lives

Your data is stored in two main places:

Database Storage (PlanetScale MySQL)

All structured data lives in a MySQL database hosted by PlanetScale:

Entry information (titles, descriptions, categories, statuses)
User accounts (email addresses, names, profile information)
Call settings (deadlines, requirements, jury configurations)
Voting data (juror scores, comments, notes)
System settings (platform preferences, notifications)

Why PlanetScale? PlanetScale provides a reliable, scalable MySQL database with automatic backups and replication built-in.

File Storage (Amazon S3)

All uploaded files are stored in Amazon S3:

Artwork images
Additional views and detail shots
Download packages and exports

S3 is designed for 99.99% availability and uses the same infrastructure Amazon uses for its own services.

Security and Privacy

Your data is protected by multiple layers of security:

Encryption — Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest
Access controls — Only authorized EntryThingy systems can access your data
Authentication — User accounts are protected with secure password hashing
Network security — Enterprise-grade network security and monitoring

Your privacy matters: We never share your data with third parties except as necessary to provide EntryThingy's services. Your gallery's data is separate from other galleries' data.

Data Ownership

You own your data. Everything you upload to EntryThingy belongs to you. You can:

Export your data at any time using the download feature
Delete your data if you close your account
Access your data through EntryThingy's interface

What This Means for You

Benefits of cloud hosting:

Access from anywhere — Log in from your office, home, or on the go
No software to install — Everything runs in your web browser
Automatic updates — You always have the latest features
Scalability — EntryThingy can handle calls with hundreds or thousands of entries
Reliability — Your data is safe and accessible

You don't need to worry about:

Server maintenance
Software updates
Backup management
Security patches
Hardware failures

We handle all of that so you can focus on running your calls and exhibitions.

Questions?

If you have specific questions about data storage, security, or privacy, don't hesitate to reach out. We're committed to keeping your data safe and accessible.