SecureChat

A minimal, secure, terminal-based chat application designed for developers who want distraction-free communication while staying in their terminal workflow.

Features

• 🔒 End-to-end encryption using the Signal Protocol
• 💻 Terminal-native interface with Bubble Tea TUI
• 🚀 Minimal resource usage - under 50MB RAM
• 🌐 Peer-to-peer connections with relay fallback
• 🔔 Subtle toast notifications for incoming messages
• 📱 Cross-platform support (Linux, macOS, Windows)
• 🎨 Customizable themes (dark/light)
• ⌨️ Keyboard-driven interface with vim-like bindings

Quick Start

Installation

# Install from source
go install github.com/opensourceghana/securechat/cmd/securechat@latest

# Or download binary from releases
curl -L https://github.com/opensourceghana/securechat/releases/latest/download/securechat-linux-amd64 -o securechat
chmod +x securechat

First Run

# Start SecureChat
securechat

# Or run with custom config
securechat --config ~/.config/securechat/config.yaml

Basic Usage

1. Start a chat: Press Ctrl+N to start a new conversation
2. Add contacts: Use Ctrl+A to add a contact by their user ID
3. Send messages: Type your message and press Enter
4. Switch chats: Use Ctrl+T to cycle through open chats
5. Settings: Press Ctrl+, to open settings

Security

SecureChat implements the Signal Protocol for end-to-end encryption:

• Perfect Forward Secrecy: Past messages remain secure even if keys are compromised
• Post-Compromise Security: Future messages are secure after key compromise recovery
• Metadata Protection: Minimal data stored on relay servers
• Identity Verification: Manual safety number verification

Safety Numbers

Each contact has a unique safety number that should be verified out-of-band:

12345 67890 12345 67890 12345 67890

Compare this number with your contact via voice call or in person to ensure secure communication.

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Client A      │    │  Relay Server   │    │   Client B      │
│                 │    │   (Optional)    │    │                 │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │    │ ┌─────────────┐ │    │ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │     TUI     │ │    │ │   Router    │ │    │ │     TUI     │ │
│ └─────────────┘ │    │ └─────────────┘ │    │ └─────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │    │ ┌─────────────┐ │    │ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │   Crypto    │ │◄──►│ │  Message    │ │◄──►│ │   Crypto    │ │
│ └─────────────┘ │    │ │  Relay      │ │    │ └─────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │    │ └─────────────┘ │    │ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │  Network    │ │    │ ┌─────────────┐ │    │ │  Network    │ │
│ └─────────────┘ │    │ │   Storage   │ │    │ └─────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │    │ └─────────────┘ │    │ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │   Storage   │ │    └─────────────────┘    │ │   Storage   │ │
│ └─────────────┘ │                           │ └─────────────┘ │
└─────────────────┘                           └─────────────────┘

Configuration

SecureChat looks for configuration in the following locations:

1. ~/.config/securechat/config.yaml
2. ~/.securechat.yaml
3. ./config.yaml

Example Configuration

user:
  display_name: "Alice Cooper"
  status_message: "Working on SecureChat"

network:
  relay_servers:
    - "relay1.securechat.dev:8080"
    - "relay2.securechat.dev:8080"
  p2p_enabled: true
  connection_timeout: "30s"

ui:
  theme: "dark"
  notifications: true
  sound_enabled: false
  timestamp_format: "15:04"

security:
  auto_accept_keys: false
  message_retention_days: 30
  export_keys_path: "~/.config/securechat/keys"

Development

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/opensourceghana/securechat.git
cd secure_chat

# Install dependencies
go mod download

# Build
go build -o securechat cmd/securechat/main.go

# Run tests
go test ./...

# Run with race detection
go run -race cmd/securechat/main.go

Project Structure

secure_chat/
├── cmd/
│   └── securechat/          # Main application entry point
├── pkg/
│   ├── crypto/              # Encryption and key management
│   ├── network/             # Network protocols and connections
│   ├── storage/             # Local data storage
│   └── ui/                  # Terminal user interface
├── internal/
│   ├── config/              # Configuration management
│   └── models/              # Data models and types
├── docs/                    # Documentation
├── examples/                # Example configurations and scripts
└── scripts/                 # Build and deployment scripts

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Security Reporting

Please report security vulnerabilities to security@securechat.dev. We will respond within 24 hours and coordinate disclosure.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global

• Ctrl+N - New chat
• Ctrl+T - Switch chat tabs
• Ctrl+W - Close current chat
• Ctrl+Q - Quit application
• Ctrl+, - Open settings
• Ctrl+/ - Show help

Chat

• Enter - Send message
• Shift+Enter - New line in message
• Ctrl+L - Clear chat history
• Ctrl+F - Search messages
• Up/Down - Navigate message history

Contacts

• Ctrl+A - Add contact
• Ctrl+E - Edit contact
• Del - Remove contact
• Space - Toggle status
• / - Search contacts

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Signal Protocol for the cryptographic protocol
• Bubble Tea for the TUI framework
• BadgerDB for local storage
• The Go community for excellent libraries and tools

Roadmap

v0.1.0 - MVP

• Basic architecture design
• Core encryption implementation
• Simple TUI interface
• 1:1 messaging
• Local message storage

v0.2.0 - Enhanced

• Group chats
• File sharing
• Improved UI/UX
• Cross-platform builds

v0.3.0 - Advanced

• P2P connections
• Advanced notifications
• Plugin system
• Mobile companion app

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SecureChat - Secure, minimal, developer-focused terminal chat.