The problem with "secure" messengers
If there is any server, relay, or bootstrap node, you must trust it. Trust is a vulnerability.
- Metadata: servers know who talks, when, how often.
- Compromise: servers can be hacked or seized.
- False promises: "we don't store" — unverifiable.
- Control: servers can censor, block, rate-limit.
What about alternatives?
Popular messengers still depend on infrastructure. True P2P tools lack usability.
- Signal: E2EE is strong, but all delivery and presence still go via Signal servers.
- Telegram: most chats are cloud-stored (not E2EE), and even Secret Chats depend on Telegram infrastructure.
- Matrix / Element: federated servers; you must trust your homeserver and its operators.
- netcat: true P2P, but has no app — just raw terminal commands.
Pure P2P: no middlemen, no trust
Each app runs its own tiny server. Messages live only on the two devices. That’s it.
- No servers: nothing and no one in the middle.
- Local storage only: your device = your archive.
- No metadata: no third-party logs, no exhaust.
- Honest trade-off: privacy prioritized over comfort.
- Comfortable app: for everyday use, not just terminal geeks.
Mobile & desktop constraints
Delivery timing
Messages deliver only when both peers are online. Otherwise they remain queued locally.
No push
OS push = central servers. We don’t use them. You see new messages when you open the app and your peer is online.
Sleep / power
Sleeping or powered-off devices cannot accept messages. That’s the cost of no middlemen.
Current status
v0.2 complete. Working TUI client with core P2P messaging.
What works now
- Core messaging: Direct P2P with queue & retry
- TUI client: Terminal interface for macOS/Linux/Windows
- Contact sharing: Manual token exchange
- Local storage: Chats & contacts persist on device
Known limitations
- No encryption: Messages in plaintext (coming in v0.3)
- No NAT traversal: Port forwarding needed (coming in v0.3)
- Text only: No files/media yet (coming in v0.4)
- Prototype: Not production-ready
Roadmap
Building privacy-first, step by step. No timelines — quality over speed.
v0.3 — NAT Traversal
- E2E encryption: ChaCha20-Poly1305 + Ed25519
- Hole punching: P2P across NAT without relays
- Optional STUN: Self-hosted coordination
v0.4 — Desktop Apps
- GUI clients: macOS, Windows, Linux (Tauri)
- Rich media: Files, images, reactions
- System tray: Background service & notifications
v0.5 — Mobile Apps
- iOS & Android: Native apps with Rust core
- QR scanning: Easy contact exchange
- No background: Foreground service only (by design)
Ready for honest privacy?
Join the community and help shape the pure P2P messenger.