In plain words
Think of a Google project as a folder in your Google account, like a folder in Google Drive, but for a website. Google calls it a Firebase project. Yours holds three things:
- Your book's website, at an address such as
your-book.web.app. - A small database with the book's text, the list of readers, and the notes they leave.
- Google sign-in, so only people with a Google account can open the book, and you can see who did.
The project belongs to you, not to Galleyleaf. Galleyleaf's setup page only fills it in for you, so you don't have to learn Firebase.
The Firebase console (console.firebase.google.com) is Google's website for managing projects. You need it once, to create the project. After that you can ignore it: you manage your book from your own site's admin page.
Questions
Does it cost anything?
No. Galleyleaf uses Firebase's free plan (Google calls it Spark), and you never enter a card. Galleyleaf itself is free too.
The free plan has daily limits, such as 50,000 reads from the database a day. A group of early readers uses a small part of that. If a limit is ever reached, for example because someone floods the book with notes, your site stops saving until the next day. You're never charged.
If Firebase ever suggests upgrading to the paid Blaze plan, you can ignore it. Galleyleaf doesn't need it.
Who can read my book?
Only people who open your site and sign in with a Google account. Anyone with the address can sign in, so share it only with people you trust. Your admin page lists everyone who has signed in, and you can remove anyone's access at any time.
The book's text isn't on the public web. It's kept in the database, and the database only hands it to signed-in readers you haven't removed. Search engines can't see it.
Can readers copy my book?
Not easily. The text can't be selected, copied or printed from the reading page. But a determined reader can still take screenshots or photos of the screen. Share early drafts with people you trust.
Who sees the notes readers leave?
Each note is visible only to the reader who wrote it and to you, the admin. Readers don't see each other's notes.
What can Galleyleaf do with my Google account?
When you sign in on the setup page, Google asks you to let Galleyleaf manage your Google projects. To be precise about what that means:
- Google's permission covers all the Google projects in your account. Google doesn't offer a permission for just one.
- The setup page only changes the project you choose, and only to set up your book site. Its code runs in your browser, where anyone can inspect it, and the site it deploys is open source.
- The permission stays in the browser tab you used and expires after an hour. Galleyleaf has no server and keeps no copy of it.
- It can't read your email, files or anything else in your Google account.
- You can remove it at any time in your Google account's third-party connections. Your site keeps working.
Does Galleyleaf get a copy of my book or my readers?
No. Your book, your readers' names and emails, and their notes are stored only in your own project. Galleyleaf keeps two things about you:
- A record that you signed in to the setup page (your name and email), like any site with Google sign-in.
- A short note of each setup or update you run: your email, your project's id and site address, the Galleyleaf version, the date, and whether it worked. If it failed, the note also says which step failed and Google's error message.
Only the person who runs Galleyleaf can read these notes. They're used to fix problems and to know which sites need an update. The privacy policy has the details, and how to have them deleted.
What does Google do with my book?
Google stores it for you, under the Firebase terms you accept when you create the project. Like Google Drive, it keeps your data in its data centres, in the region you choose during setup. Google doesn't publish it.
Why does Google ask me to turn on 2-Step Verification?
Google requires it for everyone who uses the Firebase console, to protect accounts that run websites. It means signing in needs your password plus your phone. It takes a couple of minutes to turn on, and it makes your whole Google account safer.
Why does Google say the app "hasn't been verified"?
Galleyleaf is new, and Google hasn't finished reviewing it yet. Until it does, Google shows this warning on the sign-in screen. To continue, choose Advanced, then Go to galleyleaf.com.
What if Galleyleaf disappears one day?
Your site keeps working. It runs entirely in your own project, and nothing on it depends on Galleyleaf. The code is open source, so anyone can keep it up to date.
How do I get a newer version?
Open the setup page again, sign in and choose the same project. It shows your site's version and offers Update my site. Your book, readers and notes stay as they are.
How do I take my book down or delete everything?
- To stop one reader, remove their access on your site's admin page.
- To delete everything, open the Firebase console, choose your project, then go to Project settings and Delete project. The site, the book and the notes are removed. Google keeps the project for 30 days in case you change your mind.
What do my readers need?
A Google account and a web browser, on a phone, tablet or computer. Nothing to install. They don't need Firebase or 2-Step Verification.