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alt="Patchwork icon"
src="https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork/blob/0465f406357cec9cdb8d821f68758d7ab8ef41cf/assets/icon.png"
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height="256"
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Patchwork
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A decentralized messaging and sharing app built on top of Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB).
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<details>
<summary>Table of Contents</summary>
<li><a href="#features">Features</a></li>
<li><a href="#pubs">Pubs</a></li>
<li><a href="#install">Install</a></li>
<li><a href="#docs">Docs</a></li>
</details>
Features
It's better than email because:
- Private messages are end-to-end encrypted, always.
- You have to follow somebody to get messages from them, so you won't get spammed.
- Your mail can be public broadcasts or private, and you'll only see replies by people you follow.
- The datastructure is a global mesh of append-only logs, which can support new types of data (not just "mail").
- Users are not bound to one server/host (what we call "Pubs") and do not have to trust the servers.
- It's very easy to setup and maintain your own Pub.
It's better than Twitter and Facebook because:
- Private messages are end-to-end encrypted, always.
- The software runs on your device, so there's nobody tracking your browsing.
- The application code is FOSS, so you're free to fork or write new applications without a gatekeeper setting terms.
- Data is saved to your disk, and so the application works offline.
- You can sync directly with friends over Wi-Fi.
Pubs
In order to gossip outside your local network, you'll need to connect to a Pub.
You can find an invite to an available pub at the Pub servers registry.
Get an invite, then in patchwork: click "+ Join Pub" and paste the invite code.
This will cause you to follow the Pub and vice versa. If you haven't synchronized to this social network yet, prepare to wait a few minutes while your local server synchronizes.
Install
Download installers for Windows, macOS and Linux
Or build from source
With node (>= 4) and npm (>= 3) installed:
$ git clone https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork
$ cd patchwork
$ npm install
$ npm start
You'll need some more dependencies to build.
On Debian Linux:
sudo apt-get install g++ m4 libtool automake libgconf-2-4 # build tools
sudo apt-get install libxext-dev libxtst-dev libxkbfile-dev # spellchecker headers
On Fedora Linux:
sudo dnf install libXext-devel libXtst-devel libxkbfile-devel gcc-c++ m4 automake libtool
On macOS:
brew install libtool automake # build tools
Code of conduct
Please note that this project is released with a Contributor Code of Conduct. By participating in this project you agree to abide by its terms.
Docs
Built with git-ssb-web