messaging without surveillance

chat freely without giving up your phone number, email address, real name, or location. nymstr is a private messenger that doesn't track who you talk to, when you talk, or where you are.

no personal info needed

create an account with just a username you choose. no phone number, no email, no real name required. you control your identity

they can't see who you talk to

your conversations are private. no company or government can see who you message, when you message, or how often

your messages stay yours

messages are encrypted so only you and the person you're talking to can read them. not even nymstr can see what you say

why privacy matters

it's not about having something to hide - it's about having something to protect

"Society has created privacy as the foundation stone of a harmonious world. If we lose that, we will lose the harmony."

— John McAfee, cybersecurity pioneer

"Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say."

— Edward Snowden, NSA whistleblower
personal

your thoughts need space

privacy lets you explore ideas, change your mind, and grow as a person without judgment. you need room to be wrong, to be silly, to be yourself without performing for an audience

social

relationships require trust

real intimacy happens when you can share freely. whether it's with family, friends, or partners - meaningful connections need conversations that stay between you

civic

society needs safe spaces

from journalists protecting sources to support groups helping each other - important conversations happen when people know they're not being watched or recorded

economic

your data has value

companies profit billions from your conversations, relationships, and habits. that value belongs to you, not surveillance capitalists mining your life for profit

technical architecture

built on proven cryptographic foundations

rust implementation

memory-safe systems programming language prevents entire classes of vulnerabilities. zero-cost abstractions ensure maximum performance

mls protocol

ietf-standardized group messaging with tree-based diffie-hellman key agreement. scales efficiently to thousands of participants

pgp web of trust

decentralized identity verification through cryptographic signatures. no central authority required for authentication

mixnet routing

sphinx packet format with layered encryption. messages bounce through relay nodes with random delays to prevent timing correlation

how we're different

privacy features that actually matter to you

what matters nymstr signal telegram whatsapp
works without phone number
hides who you talk to partial
you can run your own server
hides your location
code anyone can inspect partial
no single company controls it

development roadmap

building the future of private communication

Q4 2025

desktop launch

native applications for linux, macos, and windows. built with rust for maximum performance and security

Q1 2026

mobile apps

android and ios applications with full feature parity. background sync with minimal battery impact

Q2 2026

federated network

decentralized server federation allowing cross-server communication while maintaining privacy

open source resources

documentation, code, and deployment guides

code

github repository

full source code for client and server implementations. contribute to development, report issues, or fork for your own deployment

docs

technical documentation

comprehensive guides covering protocol specifications, api references, and security architecture. everything needed to understand and audit the system

deploy

self-hosting guide

step-by-step instructions for running your own nymstr server. docker images, kubernetes configs, and terraform modules included

audit

security audits

third-party security assessments and penetration test results. transparent disclosure of findings and remediation efforts

frequently asked questions

understanding nymstr's approach to privacy

why can't i just use signal?

signal is great for privacy, but it still needs your phone number and their servers can see who you talk to and when. nymstr uses pseudonyms instead of phone numbers, and our network design means nobody can see who's talking to whom - not even us

what's a pseudonym?

it's like a username that isn't connected to your real identity. you pick any name you want - no phone number or email needed. you can have different pseudonyms for different groups of friends, and nobody can link them back to the real you

can i really run my own server?

yes! if you're technically inclined, you can run your own nymstr server at home or in the cloud. for everyone else, there are community-run servers you can join. either way, no single company controls your conversations

how does it hide who i talk to?

messages bounce through multiple servers with random delays, like passing a note through several people in class. by the time it reaches your friend, nobody watching the network can tell where it came from or where it's going

is it really secure?

yes. we use the same type of encryption that banks and governments use. security experts regularly review our code, and everything is open source so anyone can verify it works as promised. your messages can only be read by you and the person you're talking to

join the movement

privacy is a fundamental human right. help us build truly anonymous communication for everyone

github.com/nymstr
gpl-3.0 license