In an era where digital privacy faces constant threats from corporate surveillance and data harvesting, a revolutionary secure communication solution emerges as the answer for genuine encrypted conversations. Enchat delivers authentic privacy without the compromises found in mainstream messaging platforms through its innovative command-line app.

Unlike traditional messaging applications that profile users and monetise personal data, this end-to-end encrypted messaging app operates on a fundamentally different principle: true privacy by design. The application requires no accounts, stores no metadata, and ensures that conversations disappear completely once participants leave—creating an ephemeral communication experience that prioritises user autonomy. This is perfect and lightweight to run on top of VPN and VPN[1] or TOR[3].

Why Enchat’s End-to-End Encrypted Messaging Matters for Privacy-Conscious Users

The inspiration for developing this secure communication app came from recognising the gap between what users need for private communication and what current platforms actually deliver. Whilst many services claim to offer encryption, they often maintain extensive user profiles, track behaviour patterns, and retain message metadata that can be just as revealing as the content itself.

This secure communication platform addresses these concerns through several key innovations:

Encryption Without Complexity

The app employs Fernet encryption (AES 128 in CBC mode with HMAC-SHA256) to protect every message. This client-side encryption ensures that messages are cryptographically secured before leaving your device, meaning that even if servers are compromised, your conversations remain completely private through authenticated encryption.

Zero-Knowledge Architecture and Server Blindness

Perhaps most importantly, this secure communication solution implements a zero-knowledge design where servers function purely as message relays. Server blindness ensures the ntfy protocol handles message distribution without ever having access to decryption keys or plaintext content. This approach creates an additional layer of protection against potential data breaches or government surveillance whilst maintaining comprehensive metadata protection.

Technical Excellence Meets User-Friendly Design

Despite its sophisticated security features, this encrypted messaging app maintains remarkable simplicity. Users need only specify a room name, nickname, and passphrase to begin secure conversations. The application handles all complex cryptographic operations transparently, allowing users to focus on their communication rather than technical implementation details.

The chat interface provides real-time encrypted communication with timestamps, status indicators, and desktop notifications across Linux and macOS platforms. Advanced features include auto-reconnection with intelligent retry logic, multiple server support, and a comprehensive command system for managing conversations.

System Requirements and Installation

This secure communication app maintains minimal system requirements whilst delivering maximum security. The application requires Python 3.6 or higher and runs seamlessly across Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms with Unicode terminal support.

Dependencies

The application relies on three essential Python libraries:

• requests for HTTP communication with ntfy servers
• colorama for cross-platform terminal colour support
• cryptography for robust encryption implementation

Installation Methods

Enchat offers two installation approaches to suit different user preferences:

Automatic Installation (Recommended):

git clone https://github.com/sudodevdante/enchat.git
cd enchat
./install-enchat.sh

Manual Setup:

git clone https://github.com/sudodevdante/enchat.git
cd enchat
pip install requests colorama cryptography
chmod +x enchat.py

Comprehensive Command-Line Options

Enchat provides extensive command-line functionality for power users:

enchat --help                                    # Display help information
enchat --reset                                   # Clear saved settings
enchat --server https://your-ntfy.example.com   # Use custom ntfy server
enchat --enchat-server                          # Use dedicated enchat server
enchat --default-server                         # Use default ntfy.sh server
enchat wipe                                      # Securely remove all traces

In-Chat Command System

Once connected, the encrypted app offers several useful commands:

• /help – Display available commands
• /clear – Clear screen for privacy
• /exit – Leave chat securely
• /who – Show all active room participants
• /server – Display current server information
• /ratelimit – Show rate limiting information and tips

Real-World Chat Experience

The Enchat interface delivers a professional, terminal-native experience:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 🟢 my-secret-room | alice | ntfy.sh
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

[14:32:15] ℹ Joined room 'my-secret-room' • Type /exit to quit, /clear to clear screen
[14:32:16] ℹ Connected successfully! Ready to chat!

[14:32:20] → bob joined the chat
[14:32:25] bob: Hey Alice! 👋
[14:32:30] alice: Hi Bob! How are you?
[14:32:35] bob: This is completely private!

💬 >

Flexible Infrastructure Options

Enchat offers unprecedented flexibility in server infrastructure. Users can choose from the default ntfy.sh server, a dedicated Enchat server optimised for secure communication, or deploy their own self-hosted ntfy server for complete infrastructure control. This flexibility ensures that organisations and individuals can select the deployment model that best matches their security requirements and usage patterns.

Advanced Server Configuration Options

Enchat supports three distinct server deployment models:

Default Server (ntfy.sh)

The public ntfy.sh server provides immediate access with basic rate limiting suitable for occasional encrypted communication.

Dedicated Enchat Server

The optimised enchat.sudosallie.com server offers generous rate limits specifically tuned for chat applications, making it ideal for regular secure conversations.

Self-Hosted Infrastructure

For organisations requiring complete control, the end-to-end encrypted messaging solution works seamlessly with self-hosted ntfy servers. The included setup script simplifies VPS deployment:

# On your VPS
./setup-selfhosted-ntfy-server.sh

This script handles ntfy installation via Docker or systemd, obtains Let’s Encrypt TLS certificates, and configures a production-ready service at your domain.

Perfect for Professional and Personal Use

The encrypted app serves diverse use cases across multiple sectors. Journalists can coordinate with sources without leaving digital footprints, developers can discuss sensitive project details without corporate oversight, and researchers can collaborate on confidential work without exposing intellectual property to third-party platforms.
The Enchat experience particularly appeals to users who prefer clean, functional tools over bloated applications filled with unnecessary features and privacy-compromising analytics.

Security Architecture Deep Dive

Enchat implements a sophisticated security model with comprehensive metadata protection:

Message Flow Security and Server Blindness

Alice ←→ [Encrypted Channel] ←→ ntfy Server ←→ [Encrypted Channel] ←→ Bob

The encryption process ensures that:

1. Client-side encryption occurs before network transmission
2. Server blindness prevents ntfy servers from accessing plaintext content
3. Authenticated encryption prevents message tampering and ensures integrity
4. Key derivation uses SHA-256 hashing of passphrases

Configuration Security

Enchat stores settings in ~/.enchat.conf. Users should secure this file:

chmod 600 ~/.enchat.conf

For maximum security, avoid saving passphrases by selecting ‘n’ during initial setup.

Security Best Practices and Recommendations

To maximise the security benefits of this encrypted communication app, users should implement several key practices:

Strong passphrases of 12 or more characters provide the foundation for message security. Room details should be shared through secure channels, and different rooms should be used for different conversation groups to maintain proper segregation.

For organisations handling sensitive communications, self-hosting provides the highest level of security by eliminating dependence on third-party infrastructure entirely.

Future Encryption Enhancements

Whilst Enchat currently employs Fernet encryption (AES 128 in CBC mode with HMAC-SHA256), which provides solid security for most use cases, future development could benefit from adopting more modern authenticated encryption schemes that address some of CBC mode’s inherent limitations.

Modern Encryption Alternatives

Several contemporary encryption methods would enhance the app’s security profile:

Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD) Ciphers:

• AES-GCM – Galois/Counter Mode provides built-in authentication and parallelisable encryption
• AES-GCM-SIV – Synthetic Initialisation Vector variant that’s more resistant to nonce reuse
• AES-SIV – Misuse-Resistant Authenticated Encryption offering additional nonce protection

Stream Cipher Options:

• ChaCha20Poly1305 – Modern stream cipher with excellent performance characteristics
• XChaCha20Poly1305 – Extended nonce variant providing better security margins
• XSalsa20Poly1305 – Alternative stream cipher with robust authentication

Addressing CBC Mode Limitations

The current CBC mode implementation in Enchat, whilst secure in practice, has several theoretical vulnerabilities that modern alternatives address:

Chosen Plaintext Attack Resistance: Predictable initialisation vectors in CBC mode can potentially enable sophisticated attacks where adversaries manipulate encryption inputs. Modern AEAD ciphers eliminate this attack vector through better IV handling and enhanced client-side encryption.

Performance Optimisation: CBC mode encryption operates sequentially, preventing parallelisation that could improve performance on multi-core systems. Alternatives like AES-GCM enable parallel processing for better throughput.

Padding Oracle Protection: Historical vulnerabilities in CBC implementations have involved padding oracle attacks, though Enchat’s use of Fernet should mitigate these risks through proper authenticated encryption.

Implementation Considerations

Upgrading Enchat to modern encryption would require careful consideration of backward compatibility and migration strategies. A phased approach could introduce new encryption options whilst maintaining compatibility with existing Fernet-encrypted communications.

The cryptographic community’s ongoing evolution towards more robust, parallelisable, and misuse-resistant encryption schemes suggests that future versions of Enchat would benefit from adopting these advanced cryptographic primitives whilst maintaining the app’s core principles of simplicity and user-friendly operation.

These enhancements would further solidify Enchat’s position as a leading privacy-focused communication tool, ensuring it remains at the forefront of secure messaging technology.

For deeper technical analysis of modern encryption methods and their trade-offs, readers may find value in examining detailed cryptographic discussions such as those found in specialised crypto communities and expert analyses like Soatok’s comprehensive guides to encryption implementation and detailed examination of AES-GCM considerations.

Get Started with Enchat

Ready to experience truly private terminal communication? Access Enchat and begin securing your conversations today:

Project Repository: Enchat on GitHub – Complete source code, documentation, and installation guides

Key Dependencies:

• ntfy.sh – Secure notification infrastructure powering the message relay system
• Cryptography library – Robust encryption implementation providing the security foundation

That’s it. Enjoy!