ONYX vs. Umbrachat: P2P Mesh Networks Show Show of Force Against Centralized Chat
ONYX claims to balance infrastructure complexity with security, offering E2EE and LAN functionality using established crypto like X25519 and XChaCha20-Poly1305. The application leverages Flutter to maintain a single codebase across Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, sidestepping the bloat of Electron or the headache of native development.
The core technical fight centers on peer-to-peer reality. Some users demand proof of infrastructure viability, asking directly, "Do users have to open ports for it to work?" while others, like jerrimu, assert that the direct connection "means there is no capture of any text or data sent, it's all encrypted p2p." Furthermore, the discussion revealed the difficulty of building cross-platform UIs, citing wardcore's observation that Flutter Desktop required writing "10+ separate optimization modules."
Ultimately, the consensus accepts self-hosting encrypted tools, but the battle lines are drawn at implementation. For ONYX, the trade-off is clear: group features necessitate sacrificing full E2EE for 'reliable sync,' which some deem adequate for open groups. The technical feasibility of pure, setup-free p2p networking remains the unresolved core dispute.
Key Points
Group/Channel features must sacrifice E2EE for reliable syncing.
This is acknowledged trade-off by the community, particularly in relation to ONYX's group functionality.
True p2p communication avoids all data interception.
jerrimu states: "After discovery you are connected directly to your friends, there is no capture of any text or data sent, it's all encrypted p2p."
Maintaining a single codebase across all desktops is technically punitive.
wardcore detailed that Flutter Desktop forced the writing of "10+ separate optimization modules."
Running reliable P2P networking requires manual port management.
JTskulk repeatedly questioned the necessity of manual port opening for basic functionality.
NaiHe offers a low-friction bypass for messaging via MQTT brokers.
clinamen0 noted this approach lets users 'smuggle' text through existing channels without a dedicated app.
Multi-device sync implementation is flawed.
wardcore admitted outgoing messages are only visible on the sending device, even when incoming messages are replicated.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.