Claude artifacts vs html.cloud
This one isn't a contest. Claude artifacts are where a page gets made: you iterate on it in the chat, and when it's meant for the world you publish it. html.cloud is for the moment a page has to leave that context and shouldn't become public — a client deliverable, internal numbers, anything with personal data in it. It's encrypted in your browser and travels as a private link. Keep using artifacts by default; reach for html.cloud when the content is sensitive or the reader is outside your organisation.
A simple rule
Keep using artifacts by default. html.cloud steps in when the page is sensitive or has to reach someone outside your organisation — and you can make it the default for everything with one switch when you install the extension.
What "publish" actually does
Publishing an artifact puts it at a public link. Anyone who has that address can open it, whether you sent it to them or it was forwarded, pasted into a group chat, or found later — and the page is stored in readable form so it can be served. None of that is a flaw; it's what public means, and it's exactly right for a page you'd happily put on a billboard. It only becomes a problem when the page was never meant to be public, and you published it because it was the easiest way to hand it to someone who isn't in your Claude workspace.
That gap is what html.cloud fills. The page is encrypted with AES-256-GCM in your browser (or by the
Claude extension, on your computer) before anything is uploaded. The key rides after the
# in the link, which browsers never send to servers, so we store only
ciphertext we cannot read. The recipient opens the link like any web page — no account, no Claude,
nothing to install. When you're done, set it to expire or delete it.
At a glance
| html.cloud | Claude artifacts | |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Delivering a finished page privately | Building and iterating on the page inside the chat |
| Sharing outside your organisation | Private link, encrypted; no account for the reader | Publish to a public link |
| Who can open a shared page | Only people who have the exact link | Anyone with the public link, or workspace members for internal sharing |
| How the page is stored | Ciphertext only; we can't read it | Readable, so it can be served |
| Changing it after sharing | Yes — same link shows the new version | Yes — republish |
| Expiry & deletion | 7 / 30 days / never; delete anytime | Unpublish anytime |
| Lives inside the Claude conversation | No — it's a link you send on | Yes, that's the point of it |
How Claude picks, once it's connected
With the html.cloud extension installed, Claude gets a standing instruction: use html.cloud for sensitive, confidential, or client material and for anything going to people outside your organisation; keep using artifacts for casual pages; ask when unsure. So you don't have to think about it — say "share this with the client" and a private link comes back; say "show me a quick mock-up" and you get an artifact as usual. If you'd rather never publish an artifact, an install-time switch, Always share through html.cloud, makes it the default for every share.
FAQ
Should I stop using Claude artifacts and use html.cloud instead?
No. Artifacts are the right place to build and iterate on a page inside Claude, and publishing one is fine for anything meant to be public. html.cloud is for when a page has to leave that context without becoming public. Most people use both.
What happens when I publish a Claude artifact?
It gets a public link anyone can open, and the page is stored in readable form so it can be served. Right for a demo or a page you'd post anywhere; the wrong default for a client report, internal figures, or anything with personal data.
How does Claude know when to use html.cloud?
The extension tells it: html.cloud for sensitive material and anything leaving your organisation, artifacts for casual pages. A switch at install time makes html.cloud the default for everything if you prefer.