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iApp

An iExec Application (iApp) brings Turnkey Privacy to your regular application code. Your Python scripts, AI models, or data processors can securely process protected data inside a TEE (Trusted Execution Environment).

Why iApp Matter ?

iApp provide Turnkey Privacy capabilities. Process sensitive data while keeping it private and secure.

Imagine you want to build:

An AI that analyzes personal health data
An email tool that needs access to contact lists
A financial advisor that processes bank statements
A content filter that reads private messages

Users have this data, but they won't trust your regular app with it. With Turnkey Privacy iApp, they will.

You gain their trust. They gain their privacy. Everyone wins.

Key Concepts

True Privacy: Users never expose their raw data. Your app processes it privately inside secure enclaves.

Trusted Execution: iExec ensures your code runs inside a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), guaranteeing only the specified Docker image executes in a secure, isolated environment.

Decentralized Infrastructure: No single point of failure. Your app runs across a distributed network of workers.

Zero Trust Architecture: User data is protected by hardware-based TEEs, keeping data confidential and inaccessible to the host, cloud provider, or operating system during execution.

How it Works

Your code runs in a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). This secure area exists inside specific processors (Intel SGX/TDX chipset). Everything stays private and protected there, even from the operating system.

Authorized users trigger iApp that process protected data inside this private environment. Your iApp uses the data but never exposes it, not even to you.

1User provides private data
2Data is protected with DataProtector
3User builds and deploys a confidential iApp that processes protected data
4Run the iApp with the corresponding protected data, performing confidential computing

Your iApp can send emails, update contracts, make transactions, trigger notifications - anything your code needs. This isn't about trust. We provide cryptographic and hardware-enforced guarantees that preserve privacy within the TEE execution environment.

Use Cases

Healthcare

Process medical data for AI diagnosis without exposing patient information

Finance

Analyze financial data for credit scoring while maintaining privacy

Media

Content recommendation engines that don't track user behavior

Research

Collaborative research on sensitive datasets across institutions

Getting Started

Time to build!

Let's build an iApp that can process protected data in a secure environment using the iExec iApp generator tool. This tool helps you create, test and deploy iApp with just a few commands.

Quick Start Path

  1. Protect your data with DataProtector
  2. Build your iApp using the iApp Generator
  3. Deploy and test your application
  4. Process protected data securely

What You'll Learn

  • How to create a Docker container for your application
  • How to handle inputs and outputs securely
  • How to deploy to the iExec network
  • How to process protected data in TEE environments

These are just a few examples, the possibilities are endless. Want to explore iApp Generator? Check out our documentation and see what you can build!

Technical Requirements

  • Docker: Your application must be containerized
  • Input/Output: Define clear input and output schemas
  • TEE Compatibility: Ensure your code runs in secure enclaves
  • Network Access: Configure any external API calls or dependencies

Next Steps

Ready to build your first privacy-preserving application? Start with our Hello World tutorial or dive into the iApp Generator documentation.

For more technical details, see the DataProtector Sharing documentation.