Nymble

Private rooms. Temporary links. No accounts.

Nymble is an experimental self-hosted private chat prototype. It lets you start a tiny local chat server, create a temporary public link, and invite someone with a simple room code.

No accounts. No database. No stored chat history.

Status: alpha prototype
Use for: testing, learning, demos, private experiments
Do not use for: high-risk or security-critical communication

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Download

Download the latest alpha release here:

Nymble v0.1.3 Alpha

Then unzip it and open the Windows or Mac folder.

Windows users:
START NYMBLE.bat

Mac users:
START NYMBLE.command

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What is Nymble?

Nymble is a small self-hosted chat app designed around a simple idea:

1. One person starts Nymble.
2. Nymble creates a temporary public link.
3. The host sends that link to a friend.
4. The host creates a room code like BLUE-FOX-42.
5. The friend enters the code.
6. Chat starts.

Nymble is built to be easy to test with normal users while avoiding accounts, signups, databases, and paid hosting.

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Features

• Room Codes
  Connect with short codes like BLUE-FOX-42.

• Temporary Public Links
  Uses Cloudflare Quick Tunnel to create a temporary public trycloudflare.com link.

• No Accounts
  No email, username, phone number, or signup flow.

• No Database
  Rooms exist only in memory while the server is running.

• No Stored Chat History
  Refreshing or stopping the server clears chat state.

• Relay Privacy Mode
  Optional fallback mode where messages are encrypted in the browser and relayed through the host server instead of using direct peer-to-peer WebRTC.

• Focus Chat
  In-page full-screen chat mode designed to work better on phones than opening a separate chat tab.

• Windows and macOS Starters
  Simple double-click start scripts for non-technical testers.

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Quick Start

Download the latest release ZIP and choose your platform folder.

Windows

Double-click:

START NYMBLE.bat

macOS

Double-click:

START NYMBLE.command

If macOS blocks the file, right-click it and choose Open.

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How to Connect

Different Wi-Fi / Remote Testing

1. Host opens START NYMBLE.
2. Nymble starts a local server.
3. Nymble creates a temporary Cloudflare public link.
4. Host sends the trycloudflare.com link to a friend.
5. Friend opens the link in a browser.
6. Host creates a Room Code.
7. Friend enters the Room Code.
8. Chat starts.

Same Wi-Fi

You can use the same flow with the public link, or open the local address shown in the server window.

For non-technical users, the public link flow is usually simpler.

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Modes

Room Code

The default mode.

Use this first.

Host: Create Room Code
Guest: Enter Room Code

Best for normal testing and simple conversations.

Relay Privacy

Fallback and privacy-focused mode.

Use this when Room Code does not connect, or when you want to avoid direct peer-to-peer connection.

In Relay Privacy mode:

• Peers do not connect directly to each other.
• Messages are encrypted in the browser.
• The host server forwards encrypted packets.
• The server still sees metadata such as timing and IP connections.

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Important Security Notes

Nymble is an alpha prototype. It is not a finished secure messenger.

Please do not market or use it as:

anonymous
untraceable
military-grade secure
zero metadata
production-ready encrypted messenger

A more accurate description is:

experimental self-hosted private chat prototype

What Nymble does well

• No accounts
• No central database
• No stored chat history
• Temporary rooms
• Simple self-hosted flow
• Optional encrypted relay mode

Current limitations

• Cloudflare Tunnel can see connection metadata.
• The host machine can see server activity metadata.
• WebRTC mode may expose peer network information.
• The encryption design has not been independently audited.
• Room codes can be shared or guessed if exposed.
• Browser security depends on the environment where the app is served.
• This is not designed for high-risk communication.

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Requirements

Users need:

Node.js

Download Node.js here:

https://nodejs.org/

No npm install is required.

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Project Structure

Nymble/
├─ Windows/
│  ├─ START NYMBLE.bat
│  ├─ STOP NYMBLE.bat
│  ├─ server.js
│  └─ public/
│
├─ Mac/
│  ├─ START NYMBLE.command
│  ├─ STOP NYMBLE.command
│  ├─ server.js
│  └─ public/
│
└─ README.md

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Stopping Nymble

Windows

Double-click:

STOP NYMBLE.bat

Or close the server windows.

macOS

Press:

Control + C

inside the terminal window.

Or double-click:

STOP NYMBLE.command

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Why Nymble Exists

Most chat apps require accounts, phone numbers, servers, or databases.

Nymble explores a different approach:

temporary rooms
self-hosted access
simple codes
no stored history
no signup

The goal is not to replace mature secure messengers. The goal is to experiment with lightweight, self-hosted private communication that normal people can test quickly.

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Roadmap

Possible future improvements:

• Better mobile interface
• One-click packaged desktop app
• Built-in updater
• Stronger room approval flow
• Better relay encryption design
• Optional password-protected rooms
• Rate limits for room code attempts
• Better connection diagnostics
• Native app packaging
• Security review and threat model documentation
• Optional Tor/onion mode
• Optional Tailscale/Funnel mode

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Development

Run manually:

node server.js

Then open:

http://localhost:8080

The app uses only Node.js built-in modules.

No database is required.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome, especially around:

• UI/UX improvements
• Mobile layout
• Connection reliability
• Privacy/security review
• Documentation
• Packaging
• Testing on Windows/macOS/Linux
• Browser compatibility

Before making security claims, please document the threat model and limitations clearly.

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License

MIT License

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Disclaimer

Nymble is experimental software.

It is provided for learning, testing, and prototyping. It has not been audited and should not be used for sensitive, high-risk, or safety-critical communication.

Use at your own risk.