Each end user is given an account username and password (which can be changed). The client connects to the server via a TLS (SSL) connection (providing confidentiality and integrity), and requires the server’s certificate to be issued by the eFolder Repository root certificate authority (to prevent spoofed servers from stealing login credentials). The client authenticates to the server with its username and password. At this point the server may redirect the user to a different server and port. This greatly increases scalability, as all clients point to the same login server, but can be redirected to their data server according to need. Data servers can be added on demand, and an account’s data can be moved to larger servers as the account grows. The end user is not aware of this complexity and never needs to change anything.

The communication protocol itself is an endian-independent, flexible protocol designed to support changes without breaking backwards compatibility.