MAMattJ100·Dec 18, 2024
Hey, thanks! I've been into messaging for quite a long time - network protocols and particularly those involving online communication are among my favourite tech topics :) So yeah, I follow various projects.
You're right that there are pros and cons. Obviously, not having to run a server is a big pro for many. However, the first thing to remember when researching messaging solutions - no matter what anyone tells you - there are always servers! What differs between projects/platforms is what the servers do, and who runs them.
Jami uses a network of public servers that form a distributed hash table (see https://github.com/savoirfairelinux/opendht ). It's a neat design, and they have done a good job tackling the challenges of P2P messaging. Last time I looked in, it still required both users to be connected at the same time for message deliv
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ery/sync to work (the devices use the DHT to discover each other, and then exchange messages). This is a fairly common issue for P2P systems, and can be frustrating in a mobile-dominated world. Their DHT software does support push notifications, which helps with that though.
Another project in this category is Briar, which uses the existing network of Tor servers - and therefore adds IP address masking and a layer of metadata protection (as always, there are limitations, e.g. https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/wikis/FAQ#does-b... ). Briar built the concept of "mailbox" nodes you can run ( https://briarproject.org/download-briar-mailbox/ ) to overcome some of the problems with P2P messaging.
With Snikket, instead of using existing publicly shared infrastructure, you just run your own server (e.g. VPS or Raspberry Pi or whatever) which is responsible just for your users, and your users connect directly to it, improving (meta)data locality. This makes the design very simple, reliable and efficient (e.g. with battery/bandwidth). It also enables some important (for our use case) convenience/UX features, such as the ability to add restrictions on certain accounts (e.g. for children), and server-managed contact lists so all your family members don't have to manually add each other as contacts one-by-one. Things like that.
No approach is universally better than every other, but I much prefer the Snikket model for the family-and-friends use case. Not that we don't have our own challenges. Our iOS app is probably the weakest part right now (in terms of UX and general polish). Something I'm working hard to get fixed in 2025.