This is a private chat service I run myself, on a computer in my own home — not a company's servers. Here's what that actually means for you, in plain terms.
💬 What is this?
chat.mahju.nu runs on Snikket, an open-source, privacy-focused chat app built on XMPP — a messaging standard that's been around since 2004 (older than most apps you've used) and isn't owned by any one company. I'm running my own private instance of it, at home, mainly for family and close friends who'd like an alternative to WhatsApp, Messenger, or similar.
You get text chat, group chats, voice and video calls, photo/file sharing, and it works across your phone and computer at once.
🔒 Where does my data actually go?
Everything runs on a small computer in my home — not Meta's, not Google's, not any cloud company's. Specifically:
In transit: every connection — your app to the server, and the server to anyone else's server — is encrypted (TLS), the same baseline protection your bank's website uses.
Message content: can be end-to-end encrypted (OMEMO) so that even the server itself can't read the content — I'd encourage turning this on in your app's settings for anything sensitive. When it's on, not even I can read your messages.
What I can technically see: like any server operator, some metadata passes through — who's messaging whom, roughly when, and message content for any chat where end-to-end encryption isn't turned on. I'm not looking, but I want to be upfront that it's technically possible, rather than pretend otherwise.
At rest: the underlying disk isn't currently using full-disk encryption (I'm working on this). If that matters to you, ask me for a status update any time.
🗑️ Can I delete my data?
Yes. Message history is automatically cleared from the server on a regular schedule — it's not kept forever. If you ever want your account and everything tied to it removed entirely, just tell me and I'll delete it directly — you don't need to figure out a settings menu to make that happen.
⚠️ A few honest differences from WhatsApp
This isn't a drop-in replacement for big-tech chat apps — some conveniences you're used to aren't there (yet), and it's worth knowing that going in rather than being surprised:
No editing or deleting sent messages in the official Snikket app right now — double-check before you hit send. (A couple of alternative apps support editing — see below.)
No phone number required — actually a plus for privacy, but it does mean people find each other by username, not by being in your contacts.
This is a hobby project I maintain myself, not a company with a 24/7 support team or a guaranteed uptime promise. I keep backups and monitor it, but the occasional hiccup is more likely than with WhatsApp.
Want message editing? Once you've created your account, you can log into it from a different app too — the same account works in multiple apps at once. Conversations (Android) supports editing sent messages; on iOS/Mac, Monal is a solid option. Neither currently supports true message deletion — that's a gap across pretty much every XMPP app right now, not just this one.
Got an invite link from me? That's the easiest way to get started.