Why I Built Hanok

Welcome to Hanok. A service I built because I personally felt the need to keep work and private life truly separate.

As a software engineer, I was given a company laptop — and like any responsible company, it came with security software installed.

That software, in theory, can monitor almost everything happening on your device: location, files, what apps you use and for how long.

On top of that, administrators often have the ability to remotely block your computer. Which means, for whatever reason, you could be locked out at any time.

Thankfully, this doesn't happen often. But it can. And while it may feel like an invasion of privacy (or at least a grey area), companies do need to protect themselves against ever-growing cyber threats.

Work and Private Life Blur Easily

These days, we’re behind our work computers almost all the time — even when working from home. That makes it easy to slip in something personal: check WhatsApp, reply to private email, maybe contact your doctor.

Got a Mac and an iPhone? As soon as you connect your phone to your work laptop, your private files may become accessible. Not ideal.

Looking for a Better Way

I was in that same situation. My first idea was to open up my personal PC for remote access. But that introduced new security risks, and performance wasn’t great either.

A separate remote desktop turned out to be a much better solution. There are plenty of options, but almost all of them are aimed at enterprises and corporate clients.

I wanted something specific: no AI, no tracking, no hidden processes or ads. That ruled out Windows and macOS pretty quickly. What was left were niche solutions — often expensive, and with data stored who-knows-where around the globe.

Hanok: A Clean and Private Desktop

So I started building it myself. After some hard work, I had a working proof-of-concept and began using it personally. It worked so well that I felt I had to share it.

Hanok keeps your data private and secure.

Can You Trust Me?

That’s a tough question. Honestly? If you asked me whether to trust a similar service built by someone else, I’d probably say no.

Still, I’m doing everything I can to build Hanok as a secure and transparent solution that puts your privacy first.

That said, I always recommend taking your own precautions as well.

For example, use a separate backup tool like Dropbox or an encrypted cloud service to store your documents.

Trust is important — but good digital hygiene is just as important.

Why the Name Hanok?

I wanted a clean, traditional desktop experience without all the fluff. A Hanok is a traditional Korean house. It allowed me to combine that feeling of simplicity with my love for South Korea and Japan in one name.