Ember

A social network with no servers. No accounts, no company in the middle, no feed algorithm.

1. Download from the latest release: Ember-Setup-x.y.z.exe (Windows installer), Ember-x.y.z-portable.exe (Windows, no install), ember_x.y.z_amd64.deb (Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install ./ember_x.y.z_amd64.deb) or Ember-x.y.z.AppImage (other Linux, run chmod +x on it first).
2. Run it. The build isn't code-signed yet, so Windows will say "Windows protected your PC": click More info → Run anyway.
3. Allow Ember on private and public networks when Windows asks, or it can't find anyone.

That's it, you're in the swarm. Want to build it yourself? See Build from source.

Your identity is a keypair, your posts are a signed log on your own device, and the people who follow you keep your posts alive by re-sharing them. When nobody keeps something warm, it fades.

Discovery works by meaning: posts are hashed into buckets of nearby topics (locality-sensitive hashing), so writing about something puts you next to strangers writing about the same thing. Attention follows proximity, not popularity.

Topics put you in rooms with people into the same things from the first minute, even before you've posted. Discover can also learn what you like, on your machine only: it shows you why each post is there, lets you remove anything it learned, and has a dial from FAMILIAR to STRANGE. When three people share a topic room at the same moment, a campfire lights: a live chat that leaves no trace. Moderation is yours: block, mute, or subscribe to the blocklists of people you trust.

Ember speaks English, French, Chinese, Arabic and Russian (right-to-left included), and you can add your own language by dropping a translation file into its data folder (how).

Use it in a browser, or self-host it. Turn on SETUP › WEB ACCESS and pair a browser (or your phone, on the same Wi-Fi) with a code. Or run Ember with no window on a home server, a Raspberry Pi or a VPS and use it from anywhere:

cd desktop && npm ci --omit=dev && npm run serve      # prints a key and a pairing code

An always-on node also keeps your posts warm while your computer sleeps. See desktop/README.md for the options and how to put it behind HTTPS.

Nearby (opt-in, off by default) adds proximity in space: see who runs Ember on the same Wi-Fi, or who opted in near your town. Ember asks your PC where it is, snaps that to the nearest town, and shares only the town: your exact position never leaves your computer. One switch (also in the tray) hides you from Nearby instantly.

Status: alpha, built and tested between a handful of people across France and Algeria. Desktop is the reference client; Android works and interoperates with it.

Your feed. The people you chose, in the order they posted. No ranking, no "for you".

Discover by meaning. A search drops you into the buckets nearest your words; strangers are ranked by how close their posts are to what you asked.

End-to-end encrypted messages. Text, images and voice notes, queued while the other person is offline.

Android. Same network, same identity format: phones and desktops talk to each other directly.

Seven themes, every text colour contrast-checked (MIST not shown).

_{Screenshots show the real interface with fictional demo content.}

desktop/   Electron client (reference implementation)  → desktop/README.md
mobile/    React Native + bare-kit client (Android)     → mobile/README.md
tools/     sync-shared.js: keeps the shared protocol code identical
PROTOCOL.md   what peers say to each other
SECURITY.md   what Ember protects and what it doesn't — read this

Grab the latest build from the Releases page:

Builds aren't code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen will warn "Windows protected your PC": click More info → Run anyway. Each release lists SHA-256 checksums if you want to verify the file. On first launch, allow Ember on private and public networks or it can't find peers.

Needs Node.js 20+.

git clone <this repo>
cd ember/desktop
npm install
npm start            # run it
npm test             # protocol test suite
npm run build        # Windows → desktop/dist/Ember-Setup-<v>.exe + portable .exe
npm run build-linux  # Linux   → desktop/dist/Ember-<v>.AppImage + ember_<v>_amd64.deb

Build Windows binaries on Windows and Linux binaries on Linux. Android needs its own toolchain: follow mobile/README.md.

Ember is peer-to-peer, so peers can see your IP address, and public posts are public by design. DMs are end-to-end encrypted but their metadata isn't hidden. Back up your identity: there is no account recovery. Details in SECURITY.md.

Changes to desktop/src/protocol.js, discovery.js or dm.js must be mirrored to mobile with node tools/sync-shared.js (CI can run it with --check). Run npm test in desktop/ before opening a PR.

Copyright (C) 2026 CRTnoise. Ember is free software under the GNU GPL v3 or any later version: you can use, study, modify and share it, and anything you distribute that's built from it must stay open under the same terms. Desktop builds bundle FFmpeg (also GPL); see NOTICE.md. Ember is a non-commercial tool, not a service: its author runs no server, holds no user data and cannot see or remove what people publish with it. It comes with no warranty, and each user is responsible for what they publish. See LEGAL.md (in English and French).