Delta Chat

Your chat profile/identity: a tar file.

Your social web app: a zip file.

https://chatmail.at and https://webxdc.org are spearheading ever new and more fun ways to deny power to servers and platform billionaires.

Unlike classic email servers, #chatmail relays do not store user identities which solely live on end-user devices.There also is no encrypted value on the server like with Proton Mail or Signal. There are only relays, endless federating networks of relays to onboard safely :)

Dec 12, 2025 at 6:57pmWeb
Show threadL⁂⁂⁂CY iDK ⚝ ⁂ ⚝ ⚝ ⁂ ⁂Dec 12, 2025
@delta kann die bedeutung dessen nochmal jemand anderes auf deutsch sagen? uwu #DeltaChat
Show threadell1e coding thingsDec 12, 2025

@lucy_idk @delta soweit ich es verstehe:

Es bedeutet dass man nicht von einem einzelnen Server abhängt, weil deine Identität auf dem Gerät gespeichert ist und mitgenommen werden kann. Es gibt mehrere "Relays" als mögliche Server, ein Wechsel ist so einfach wie bei Mastodon und ähnlichen Föderationen, keine Ausgeliefertheit an AWS-Cloud, Cloud Storage vom Chat-Anbieter, und es gibt Zukunftssicherheit wenn ein Anbieter zumacht.

Show thread.ｂｅｅｊａｙDec 12, 2025
@delta I just created an account on a relay. But i haven´t found a way to transfer this to a different device. Is this even possible?
Show threadHeikoDec 12, 2025

@beejay are you trying to configure an additional/different device to use Delta Chat on?

If so, maybe https://delta.chat/en/help#can-i-use-delta-chat-on-multiple-devices-at-the-same-time helps?

Delta Chat: FAQ

What is Delta Chat? Delta Chat is a reliable, decentralized and secure instant messaging app, available for mobile and desktop platforms. Instant creation of private chat profiles with secure and i...

Show thread.ｂｅｅｊａｙDec 12, 2025

@hko I guessed that this mechanic could be used for this case. Just feeld a bit weird, because i have no "login data" or fixed authentication to use.

e.g. if i suddenly lose/break my phone, i would need to create a new account/profile/whatever and inform all of my contacts about it?

Show threadHeikoDec 12, 2025

@beejay Alternatively, there is also a "backup" flow, which you might prefer.

Either way, with Delta Chat there is no meaningful "login" information as such, since your data tends to only exist on your own device(s). The relays only store encrypted messages for you, temporarily.

In particular, your cryptographic identity (i.e. key material) *really* only exists on your own device(s). If you lose access to your device data, then your cryptographic Delta Chat identity effectively ceases to exist

Show thread.ｂｅｅｊａｙDec 12, 2025

@hko Ah, don´t worry. I found it:

https://delta.chat/en/help#backup

should to the trick, because this includes the profile/encryption keys, right?

Delta Chat: FAQ

What is Delta Chat? Delta Chat is a reliable, decentralized and secure instant messaging app, available for mobile and desktop platforms. Instant creation of private chat profiles with secure and i...

Show threadHeikoDec 12, 2025
@beejay indeed
Show threadPeter VágnerDec 12, 2025

@beejay Roughly like this:

  • Open @delta
  • Navigate to Settings -> Add second device. Both of your devices have to be connected to the same network while adding a new device.
  • On a different device just start the app. On a new account screen press Add as second device.
  • Also you can add multiple accounts into a single instance of the app such as your private profile and public profile, your family profile and your work profile or any other way you prefer. To add multiple accounts just press your profile picture, then press Add account.
Show threadn00qDec 12, 2025

@delta

Don't chatmail servers retain some metadata and encrypted messages (value?) both while a message on the server waiting for a client to sync, and longer in the case of multi-device accounts?

Show threadEmoryDec 14, 2025
Yes. What's your point tho? I don't see how it counters op
Show threadMikalaiDec 12, 2025
@delta
Are you saying, a business can't make, keep, maintain a long living identity with this tech?
There are many cases that need long living identity, like a bread store around the corner.
Show threadClickyMcTickerDec 12, 2025
@mikalai @delta What’s the bread store on the corner doing with an encrypted chat system?
Show threadDelta ChatDec 13, 2025
@mikalai @ClickyMcTicker what is the bread store doing with whatapp? Likely they could also use delta, and people wouldn't need to use their one and only private profiles for work chats? Anyway, it's hard to give an answer about an abstract bakery. There are certainly 20+ people orgs using it heavily but they are not bakeries.
Show threadMikalaiDec 13, 2025
@ClickyMcTicker @delta
Even for bakery baseline should be privacy and security.
As long as we carry a habit of thinking and saying that privacy is for "activists", you will pay more to amazon and likes, cause knowledge of your habits around bakery helps to screw you over. And that "you" in screwing activity includes both you and bakery -- middlemen, monopoly, etc.
Show threadrakooDec 13, 2025
@mikalai @delta

In the end identities only belong to the people. If a person wants to change identities, who are we to say noe, except an authoritarian entity ? The bakery can keep an identity that was given by a customer for as long as the customer wants. But it's not up to the bakery to "make" or "give" an identity, or to hold people accountable to whatever they know about them. In technical terms the source of truth is the user not the bakery database.
Show threadMikalaiDec 12, 2025
@delta
"App is zip" is golden, cause social part is between peers, between humans, while code runs on user devices, implying total user control.
This is p2p, as a reference to usage, not as reference to network topology.
Show threadnawanDec 14, 2025
@delta Where the RFC?
Show threadDelta ChatDec 14, 2025
@nawanp there is no single RFC, but many involved. see https://github.com/chatmail/core/blob/main/standards.md for more details.
core/standards.md at main · chatmail/core

Chatmail Rust Core library, used by Android/iOS/desktop chatmail apps, bindings and bots 📧 - chatmail/core

GitHub