Difference Between a Fleeting Session and a Persistent Share
Fleeting Session
A Fleeting Session is ideal when you need to collaborate on a document in real-time but don’t require ongoing synchronization or permanent sharing afterward.
Examples:
- Workshopping a text you’ve written
- Collaborating on meeting notes that will later be shared via email
A fleeting session ends when you:
- Close all editors with the synced document
- Use the “Stop Syncing” option from the status bar or the document’s context menu
Fleeting sessions are only available for individual documents, not for folders.
Technical & Security Considerations
The content shared in a fleeting session is kept strictly between you and your collaborators. Peerdraft servers are only involved in establishing peer-to-peer connections. All content is exchanged using end-to-end encryption via WebRTC.
Persistent Share
A Persistent Share is used when you want to keep documents and folders synchronized over an extended period. Persistent Shares support both asynchronous and offline edits.
Examples:
- A Team Knowledge Base
- A Running Log for your RPG Campaign
A persistent share remains available to others even if you stop syncing with your vault or delete the folder. It only stops when you select Stop syncing for everyone from the context menu or stop sharing from the Peerdraft Management View. You can access this view with the command Manage active persistent shares created by me.
Technical & Security Considerations
Content in a Persistent Share is synchronized with Peerdraft servers to enable asynchronous collaboration and offline editing. This allows collaborators to work independently and have their changes automatically merged when they reconnect. Content is encrypted at rest and in transit.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Fleeting Session | Persistent Share |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Temporary, ends when you close editors or stop syncing | Long-term, remains active until explicitly stopped |
| Offline Support | No - requires real-time connection | Yes - supports asynchronous and offline editing. Changes will merge when reconnected |
| Scope | Individual documents only | Documents and folders |
| Server Storage | No - peer-to-peer only | Yes - for synchronization and offline access |
| Encryption | End-to-end via WebRTC | Encrypted at rest and in transit |
| Ideal For | Real-time collaboration, workshops, meetings | Team knowledge bases, long-term projects, running logs |
| Termination | Automatic on close or manual “Stop Syncing” | Manual “Stop syncing for everyone” required |
Which Should You Choose?
Choose a Fleeting Session when you need:
- Temporary real-time collaboration
- Quick feedback on a document
- No ongoing synchronization needed afterward
Choose a Persistent Share when you need:
- Long-term collaboration
- Offline editing capabilities
- Folder-level synchronization
- A shared knowledge base or running log