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dusk chat

a peer-to-peer community chat platform. no central server. your data stays yours.

what is dusk chat

dusk chat is a decentralized alternative to discord. every user runs a full node and client in a single desktop app with peer discovery through a custom relay server. messages sync between peers using CRDTs (conflict-free replicated data types), so there's no single point of failure and no server that can read your messages.

key features

serverless: no central database or message storage. every peer stores their own data
privacy-first: end-to-end encrypted by design. the relay only forwards encrypted bytes
offline-first: continue chatting while offline. messages sync when you reconnect
crdt-powered: automatic conflict resolution using automerge. no message loss
lan discovery: automatic peer discovery on local networks via mDNS
wan connectivity: connect to peers anywhere via relay server and rendezvous protocol
invite codes: share communities without exposing IP addresses

getting started

prerequisites

bun: package manager for frontend (https://bun.sh)
rust: for backend and relay server (https://rustup.rs)
node: for tauri cli (comes with bun)

system dependencies

dusk chat is built on tauri v2, which requires platform-specific system libraries. install the dependencies for your OS before building.

linux

debian / ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
  build-essential \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  libxdo-dev \
  libssl-dev \
  libayatana-appindicator3-dev \
  librsvg2-dev

arch / manjaro

sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S --needed \
  webkit2gtk-4.1 \
  base-devel \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  openssl \
  appmenu-gtk-module \
  libappindicator-gtk3 \
  librsvg \
  xdotool

fedora

sudo dnf check-update
sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1-devel \
  openssl-devel \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  libappindicator-gtk3-devel \
  librsvg2-devel \
  libxdo-devel
sudo dnf group install "c-development"

gentoo

sudo emerge --ask \
  net-libs/webkit-gtk:4.1 \
  dev-libs/libappindicator \
  net-misc/curl \
  net-misc/wget \
  sys-apps/file

opensuse

sudo zypper up
sudo zypper in webkit2gtk3-devel \
  libopenssl-devel \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  libappindicator3-1 \
  librsvg-devel
sudo zypper in -t pattern devel_basis

alpine

sudo apk add \
  build-base \
  webkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  openssl \
  libayatana-appindicator-dev \
  librsvg

note: alpine containers don't include fonts by default. install at least one font package (e.g. font-dejavu) for text to render correctly.

ostree (silverblue / kinoite)

sudo rpm-ostree install webkit2gtk4.1-devel \
  openssl-devel \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  libappindicator-gtk3-devel \
  librsvg2-devel \
  libxdo-devel \
  gcc \
  gcc-c++ \
  make
sudo systemctl reboot

nixos

see the nixos wiki page for tauri.

macos

install xcode from the mac app store or the apple developer website. launch it once after installing so it finishes setup.

windows

install microsoft c++ build tools and check "desktop development with c++" during setup
webview2 is pre-installed on windows 10 (1803+) and windows 11. if you're on an older version, install the webview2 runtime
install rust via rustup or winget install --id Rustlang.Rustup -- make sure the MSVC toolchain is selected as default

installation

clone the repository

git clone https://git.clxud.dev/duskchat/app dusk-chat
cd dusk-chat

install frontend dependencies

bun install

(optional) clone and run the relay server locally

git clone https://git.clxud.dev/duskchat/relay relay-server
cd relay-server
cargo run

running the app

development mode (full app)

bun run tauri dev

this compiles the rust backend and starts the vite dev server on port 1420.

frontend only (no tauri shell)

bun run dev

this will run the vite dev server without the tauri backend. useful for faster iteration on UI components with mock data.

wan connectivity setup

dusk chat comes with a built-in relay server (relay.duskchat.app) that serves as the primary relay for peer discovery. you can also run your own locally or deploy it to a cloud provider.

to add your own:

DUSK_RELAY_ADDR=/ip4/<relay-ip>/tcp/<port>/p2p/<relay-peer-id>

development commands

# install frontend dependencies
bun install

# run full app (rust + vite)
bun run tauri dev

# run frontend only (demo data)
bun run dev

# build for production
bun run tauri build

# run relay server
cd relay-server && cargo run

# run relay server with custom port
DUSK_RELAY_PORT=4002 cargo run

desktop packaging (windows / macos / linux)

run packaging commands from the app/ directory.

# all bundles supported by your current OS
bun run package

# linux bundles
bun run package:linux

# macOS bundles
bun run package:macos

# windows bundles
bun run package:windows

expected bundle outputs are written to:

app/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

common artifact types by platform:

linux: appimage, deb, rpm
macos: .app, .dmg
windows: nsis installer, msi

ci packaging workflow

cross-platform packaging is automated in:

app/.gitea/workflows/desktop-packaging.yml

workflow behavior:

runs a matrix build on self-hosted gitea runners for linux, macos, and windows
uses runner label sets:
- linux: self-hosted, linux, x64
- macos: self-hosted, macos
- windows: self-hosted, windows, x64
installs bun + rust, then runs platform-specific packaging scripts from app/package.json
archives bundles from app/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/ into:
- ci-artifacts/dusk-linux-bundles.tar.gz
- ci-artifacts/dusk-macos-bundles.tar.gz
- ci-artifacts/dusk-windows-bundles.zip
attempts artifact upload with actions/upload-artifact (best effort)
always keeps a fallback copy in runner workspace at ci-artifacts/ (printed in logs), so artifacts can still be collected when artifact-service compatibility differs across gitea setups

workflow triggers:

manual dispatch (workflow_dispatch)
version tag pushes matching v*
pull requests touching app/** (including packaging files)

runner assumptions:

runners are provisioned and registered in gitea with the labels listed above
linux runners either provide tauri system deps already, or support apt-get installation during the workflow
macos/windows signing and notarization are not configured in this workflow; output installers are unsigned unless runner-side signing is added

contributing

fork the repository and install dependencies as described above
create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/my-feature)
make your changes with clear commit messages
ensure application is in a working state and all tests pass if applicable
submit a pull request with a detailed description of your changes and the problem they solve.

license

see the main project license file.

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