A significant amount of people will go "huh, Signal will only work when my Netflix VPN is on, I wonder why that is". Signal won't just disappear.
In fact, Signal has a network of volunteers running special proxy services[1] to access Signal from countries with oppressive governments. Signal the company may leave, but Signal the app will try to stay relevant for as long as possible.
[1]: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy
In KryptEY – Android keyboard for E2EE comms via Signal protocol in any messengersignalapp
Signal-TLS-Proxy
Shell2021–2023
signalapp / Signal-TLS-Proxy
Signal-TLS-Proxy
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This week on Hacker News
Nov 7–Nov 14 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/14/2026, 5:04:57 PM UTC.
No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.
Mentions over time
HN mentions by month24 dated mentions
Observed mentions: 2021-02-04 18:12:03 UTC to 2023-05-27 18:30:33 UTC.
Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.
View mention counts and date ranges
| Period | Start (UTC) | End (exclusive, UTC) | Mentions | Submissions | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2021 | 2021-02-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-03-01 00:00:00 UTC | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Mar 2021 | 2021-03-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-04-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2021 | 2021-04-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-05-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2021 | 2021-05-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-06-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2021 | 2021-06-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-07-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2021 | 2021-07-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-08-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2021 | 2021-08-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-09-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 2021-09-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-10-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2021 | 2021-10-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-11-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 2021 | 2021-11-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-12-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 2021 | 2021-12-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2022 | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-02-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 2022 | 2022-02-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-03-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2022 | 2022-03-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-04-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr 2022 | 2022-04-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-05-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2022 | 2022-05-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-06-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2022 | 2022-06-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-07-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2022 | 2022-07-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-08-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2022 | 2022-08-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-09-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2022 | 2022-09-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-10-01 00:00:00 UTC | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Oct 2022 | 2022-10-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-11-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 2022 | 2022-11-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-12-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 2022 | 2022-12-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2023 | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-02-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 2023 | 2023-02-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-03-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2023 | 2023-03-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-04-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2023 | 2023-04-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-05-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2023 | 2023-05-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-06-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
From the project README
An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 13, 2026.
Read the project’s introduction
Signal TLS Proxy
To run a Signal TLS proxy, you will need a host that has ports 80 and 443 available and a domain name that points to that host.
Install Docker by following the instructions at https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/
Clone this repository
./init-certificate.sh
docker compose up --detach
Your proxy is now running! You can share this with the URL https://signal.tube/#<your_host_name>
Updating from a previous version
If you've previously run a proxy, please update to the most recent version by pulling the most recent changes from main, then restarting your Docker containers:
git pull
docker compose down
docker compose build
docker compose up --detach
Stability Policy
We endeavor to provide updates to this repository thirty days in advance of them being required to use the Signal service, but may not always be able to do so for operational reasons. Proxy operators are advised to please check for updates at least once every thirty days, if not more often. You may use the instructions above to update as needed.
Contributions welcome
We want this proxy to be simple to deploy for a broad population, but we know that it won’t fit all deployments—especially advanced users that already have running servers or specific technology preferences. We welcome contributions that make incremental improvements, updates, and improve compatibility, but aren’t considering significant architectural changes.
Read the full README on GitHubWhat Hacker News says
24 sourcesPosting here to add a mention of Signal-TLS-Proxy:
https://signal.org/blog/run-a-proxy/
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy
In Tell HN: The Internet situation inside Iran> Also many people won't be able to run the proxy anyways because they already got something listening on http ports and it seems like this crap doesn't cannot be put behin. a regular web server as a virtual host.
I'm pretty sure you can merge the nginx config with your own existing one, it seems pretty straightforward to me: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/blob/main/data...
In Help people in Iran reconnect to Signal – a request to our communityIt's a bit odd to use a custom docker image, rather than the one maintained by nginx Inc though:
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/blob/main/ngin...
Vs
https://github.com/nginxinc/docker-nginx
For one, this is 5 versions behind (1.18 vs 1.23).
In general seems caddy or haproxy might be a better fit - but nginx is a perfectly fine choice I suppose.
In Signal TLS ProxyIt's a simple way of running something quickly and without touching the rest of your system (if you already have Docker installed)
Anyway, the proxy is just an nginx with a custom config file. You can check that file and just add it yourself to an nginx you manage, probably with little changes.
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/blob/main/data...
In Signal TLS ProxyIt's basically just spin up nginx acting as a relay to proxy requests to Signal's server. Here is the nginx config for the relay:
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/blob/main/data...
In Help people in Iran reconnect to Signal – a request to our communityIt's unfortunate to see so many open PRs in the repo: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pulls
In Help people in Iran reconnect to Signal – a request to our communityAsk HN: VPS Providers in Russia
As internet access is getting further restricted in Russia, I think there are those among us who would be happy to try doing their part by helping people in Russia communicating both internally and externally while staying, evade censorship and maintaining privacy.
Examples:
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy (is there something similar for TG?)
https://snowflake.torproject.org/
What are some places where one can acquire IP and/or compute in Russia?
People in Russia: Apart from Tor and Signal, what else do you feel needs to be bridged?
6 points · Open discussion> Having made rules is not sufficient for those rules to be just
Quite. And if one doesn't think the rules are just, then simply don't play the game. However, rules such as "don't spam an issue", "don't spam a PR", "don't insult others", "please use the forum for this discussion" strike me as being simple, sensible and just rules. Which rules are unjust, in this context?
> Rules are not themselves authority bearing - nor can one side be upset when they make obnoxious rules and get push back.
In a dictatorship - such as a web site forum - the rules are, in fact, authority bearing. Since a user or their content can be removed at the whim of an operator, that authority is proven. This entire dramatic performance has been because the entirety of one "side" is upset when they've been subjected to pushback because they have broken the rules, an
Read the rest
d the authority of those rules has been effected.
> When you respond to criticism of those rules by deleting the criticisms... well it's clear you are no longer hosting an open forum and instead trying to shut down speech you don't like.
You are conflating what happened here. A user committed malconduct (of the sort that most projects would react badly to) and their offending material was deleted because it was an unhelpful duplicate placed in the wrong forum. Such content can only be deleted because it is...unhelpful, duplicate and in the wrong forum. All that was needed was the discussion moved to where it was expected. GitHub projects are not open forums and the PR was not speech.
> The posters did not use insults, they did not attack the people behind signal
I refute this statement with the following:
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pull/15#issuec...
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pull/15#issuec...
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pull/15#issuec...
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pull/15#issuec...
https://community.signalusers.org/t/why-signal-blocked-me-fr... (more a threat than insult, I guess)
https://community.signalusers.org/t/why-signal-blocked-me-fr...
https://community.signalusers.org/t/why-signal-blocked-me-fr...
> Shutting down a potentially serious security bug
They were not shut down to begin with - they were simply asked to post in the correct forum. Once they started their abusive behaviour they had to be shut down because they couldn't behave themselves.
> This isn't a child's baseball game, this is a situation where lives are at risk. "Sorry, we really tried to put out the fire, but your yard sign made me upset and I had to go write in my journal instead of doing my job."
I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here, other than proving one of my latter points.
You don't see why making such a pull request would be inappropriate? Do you understand what pull requests are for?
Does this look like an attempt at productive contribution to you? https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pull/15
Is this a good patch? It just drops a random file into the repo. https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/commit/40f4d9d...
These people decided to abuse the pull request system after being asked to use https://community.signalusers.org/ instead of GH issues to discuss their concerns.
In A Statement on Recent Events Between Signal and the Anti-Censorship CommunitySorry, where's the vulnerability in _signal_ here?
The TLS proxy is not sufficient. Marlinspike addressed this in their incredibly childish PR [0]:
>As we said in the blog post, it is nothing more than a simple TLS proxy as an interim solution to help people while we're working on something more scalable and more robust
I'm not so sure they made it clear they were working on another solution in that blog post [1], but it's a known problem that proxies can be fingered. I don't see the value add here and I can't read this as anything other than "boo hoo, we weren't listened to" (which is not surprising, given their behavior)
[0]: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pull/15#issuec...
[1]: https://signal.org/blog/help-iran-reconnect/
In A Statement on Recent Events Between Signal and the Anti-Censorship Community> You were blocked because you know that we don't use GH for discussion, but came here anyway and started opening fake PRs so that you could post and harass other people on GH.
> …If you want to discuss anything about circumvention or any other aspects of Signal in a way that is respectful to the rest of the community, please join in on the forums.
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pull/15#issuec...
That does not to me seem like "shutting down the conversation completely".
(As if there is even a way to do that on the internet if you were to try!)
In A Statement on Recent Events Between Signal and the Anti-Censorship CommunityThe answer from Moxie to these people: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pull/15#issuec...
I think that says it all.
I'm also a bit concerned that "security researchers" don't seem to understand the threat model. Signal has never claimed to be able to hide that it was being used. The TLS proxy is only meant to help circumvent censorship, not obfuscate its protocol. And indeed, as a temporary solution, it's not ideal even to circumvent censorship. But they're apparently working on something better, and all this distraction is not helping.
In A Statement on Recent Events Between Signal and the Anti-Censorship CommunityIn case anybody still wonders, I guess realducksoft (the poster of this thread) is the DuckSoft on GitHub, who discovered this problem with help from another GitHub user studentmain.
They are both developers from China, which is why their English isn't very good (My English is bad too, sorry). However, based on my observation, they've spend years on the related field (Let's just call it "Secured Data Transmission"), that makes them the pros here.
So personally, I trust their discovery and believe what they have found is indeed a critical security vulnerability that could threatens people's safety, especially when the service/program was designed to put a middle finger in their government's face. I hope Signal can make something better than this (, and it seems they are trying [0]).
[0] https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-TLS-Proxy/pull/15
Read the rest
#issuec...
Off topic: There are only 2 useful posts in the issue #15, one was the #issue-568737654 and another was #issuecomment-774982590, the others were mostly spams. I don't think it helped the situation isn't it?
Oh, by the way, I encountered studentmain once. He was the one who "recovered" the few comments that I replied to an issue under Shadowsocks's GitHub repository from the his email record. The word "recovered" is because I intentionally deleted those comments to protect myself from been exposed too much, and he just pasted everything back on including my name and ask me "why so careful". So he cares about the Privacy of the others now? Well, kudos to him ;)
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