Published elsewhere

Selected writing for engineering publications.

External
LogRocketFrontend, React Native, CSS, and platform engineering.logrocket.comPrismicWeb performance, UX, design systems, and the modern stack.prismic.ioStrapiHeadless CMS tutorials and practical application builds.strapi.ioDev.toFrontend, React Native, CSS, and platform engineering.dev.to
Silo architecture: split crates2026What Silo does with your master passwordBuilding Silo Tray: the background companionQuiet Mornings and Slow Brewed CoffeeA fresh StartFood for ThoughtHello [ Your_Name ]JavaScript Array.at() method2021Best 19 React UI Component Libraries of 20262023SvelteKit vs. Next.js: Which Should You Choose in 2026?2024Popper vs. Floating UI2022Axios POST requests: Handling errors, authentication, and best practices2025Understanding React’s useEffect cleanup function2024Understanding the CSS revert-layer keywordA guide to enabling partial pre-rendering in Next.jsBuilding a progressive web app in Remix with Remix PWA2023Using pointerEvents in React Native2022Build an analytics app with React and Cube.js2021Understanding React Native env variables2022How to build a Marketing Site with React and StrapiGoogling your errors as a Junior Developer2020What is Git and GitHub2019Building CloudPlexo's design system, part 1: Choosing type, icons, and a buttonNEW2026Building CloudPlexo's design system, part 2: Testing the foundations in interfacesNEWBuilding CloudPlexo's design system, part 3: From decisions to documentationNEW

Building Silo Tray: the background companion

#silo#rust#desktop#security#password-manager
August 3, 2026

The terminal is Silo’s management surface, but to use the extension, we need to have the broker active or unlocked or log into the shell. However, having to open the broker or shell whenever I need a password completion isn't ideal for me and so a better and more efficient way is to have a simple on/off button switch. This need can be solved with a tray.

Silo Tray is the small menu-bar or system-tray companion that keeps the local broker available without keeping a terminal window open. That way, I can easily turn it off when it's not needed too.

The job of the tray

The tray is intentionally narrow. It owns the desktop lifecycle, while the broker owns the unlocked vault session.

Silo Tray
├── starts a locked broker
├── reads broker status
├── exposes lock / unlock
├── opens the Silo shell
└── quits the broker session

It does not store a second vault, sync credentials, or become another password database.

Process map

                  ┌─────────────────┐
                  │  Silo Tray       │
                  │  menu-bar UI     │
                  └────────┬────────┘
                           │ local request
                           ▼
                  ┌─────────────────┐
                  │  Silo Broker     │
                  │  locked session  │
                  └────────┬────────┘
                           │ unlocks
                           ▼
                  ┌─────────────────┐
                  │  Encrypted vault │
                  │  local file      │
                  └─────────────────┘

The browser follows a separate path:

Browser extension → native host → broker → approved username/password/TOTP

The browser never receives the master password.

Starting the locked broker

The tray starts a broker with no decrypted vault in memory:

let broker = silo_broker::start_locked(args.vault.clone(), args.timeout)?;

That separation is important. A tray restart should not create a new vault format or duplicate the vault’s encryption logic. It only starts and controls the process responsible for the session.

Menu actions

The menu is status-driven:

Silo vault: locked
Unlock Silo vault
Open Silo vault
Quit Silo vault

When the broker is unlocked, the menu changes to "Lock Silo vault". The tray asks the broker for status rather than guessing from its own state:

let response = broker_request(Request::Status)?;
let label = if response.unlocked == Some(true) {
    "unlocked"
} else {
    "locked"
};

Limitations

The tray does not yet provide hardware-backed unlock, sleep/wake handling on every platform, or a signed installer. Those require platform-specific testing and release work. The tray is a lifecycle companion, not a security boundary by itself.